Falling resignation rate in Lombardy companies

The most striking figure is certainly that concerning the voluntary turnover rate - i.e. the ratio between the number of workers who resigned during the year and the total number of those on the workforce at the end of the previous year. Well, after growing steadily for four years (with a surge in the two-year post-Covid period 2021-2022), in Lombardy this indicator dropped significantly in 2024, from 6.4% in the previous year to 5.4%.

We are still above pre-pandemic values (in 2019 it was at 4.2%) but "already last year growth had slowed down and this year there has been a strong reduction, which has brought this value back to physiological levels," observes Andrea Fioni, of Assolombarda's study centre, commenting on the data of the labour survey "The numbers for human resources" 2025, carried out by Confindustria Lombardia through the data provided by the nine Lombardy industrial associations. Elaborated this year thanks to the answers of about 700 member companies (for a total of 150,000 employees), the survey is proposed as a working tool for companies' HR managers, useful to study and set personnel management policies. An issue, as is well known, that is fundamental in this historical phase, in which companies are struggling to find not only specialised and adequately trained personnel to face the great challenges of digital and ecological transitions, but sometimes also personnel tout court.

A problem that is particularly felt by companies again this year, explains Fioni: 'In 2024, 77 per cent of the companies surveyed had made at least one search for personnel and 61 per cent of these stated that they had had difficulties finding the figures they needed. To cope with these difficulties, companies in Lombardy respond in three ways: in the majority of cases (55%) they invest in training staff already on the payroll. 46% resort to external services, while to a lesser extent they look outside for already trained figures to be permanently employed.

Once found, these figures must then be 'retained' in the company. Hence, explains Fioni, a series of measures taken by companies that, despite the difficult economic situation, invest in human capital, aware that it is the most precious raw material for making a company grow. 'The pay lever is certainly one of the most important components,' adds Fioni, 'as demonstrated by the dynamics of merit policies, which are growing. The merit pay increases budgeted by companies in Lombardy are 3.1% on average, compared to 2.1% in 2023 and 2.9% in 2024'.

Another interesting fact concerns entry salaries for new graduates, i.e. without work experience: the survey reveals a gross annual salary of almost 26,800 euro for young people with a three-year degree, while for those who have completed a master's degree the difference is played out by the type of degree: 27,400 euro for humanities degrees, 27,800 for economic-legal degrees and 29,000 for technical-scientific degrees. Figures that translate, on a monthly basis, into salaries of between 1,600 and 1,750 euro net monthly on average. There is also a geographical distinction, with the city of Milan recording entry salaries that are around 5% higher than the average.