‘YesMilano Talent Bureau’ is launched to attract foreign talent

Milan is taking a further step in its efforts to position itself as an attractive hub for international students and is launching YesMilano Talent Bureau, the new project promoted by Milano & Partners, the City of Milan and the Milan, Monza, Brianza and Lodi Chamber of Commerce to attract, welcome and retain international talent and to harness human capital as the driving force behind the city’s economic and social development.

Milan has already risen to the challenge of attracting students. According to a survey carried out by Rete ITER – IARD Institute on behalf of the Milan, Monza, Brianza and Lodi Chamber of Commerce – 25,856 international students chose the city for their studies in the 2024/25 academic year, an increase of 102 per cent compared with 2020. The aim now is to turn this strong appeal into long-term residency. Data from Uni-Italia shows that only 13 per cent of students who arrived in Italia from abroad to study in 2015 were still resident in the country in 2020, a percentage significantly lower than that recorded in other countries.

The survey paints a picture of an ambivalent Milan which, like all global cities, is both inspiring and exhausting at the same time. 40 per cent of respondents identified the city’s international character as its main strength, followed by its cultural offerings (27 per cent) and career opportunities (24 per cent). However, almost half (46 per cent) cite the cost of living and housing as the main issue, followed by bureaucratic complexity (20 per cent) and difficulties in the labour market (18 per cent).

The challenge is no longer simply to attract talent to Milan, but to convince them to build their future here. It is from this realisation that the YesMilano Talent Bureau was launched, with a clear mission: to transform the city’s appeal into the ability to retain skills, knowledge and professional expertise, thereby contributing to the international competitiveness of the city and the wider region.

“It is also the young people who come from all over the world who make Milan more vibrant, more intelligent and more forward-looking. Our task is to live up to their choice, and the Talent Bureau is a first step towards meeting this challenge,” said Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan.