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Work

Among the highest employment rates in Italy. Manufacturing districts along the Via Emilia (engines, machinery, packaging, ceramics, biomedical, fashion), agri-food, services and university in Bologna; strong seasonality on the Romagna Riviera and in agriculture. Job centres of the regional employment agency.

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Sectors and districts

The Via Emilia is a sequence of districts: automotive and motorcycles (Modena, Bologna, Maranello, Sant'Agata Bolognese), packaging machinery (Bologna), hydraulics and farm machinery (Reggio Emilia, Modena), tiles (Sassuolo-Scandiano), biomedical (Mirandola), knitwear (Carpi), food (Parma, seat of the European Food Safety Authority; Modena; Cesena for fruit and vegetables), logistics (Piacenza, Bologna freight village). Bologna adds services, university, trade fairs and health care; Rimini and Ravenna tourism, fairs and port.

Seasonal work

Seasonal work is widespread: the Riviera (Rimini, Riccione, Cattolica, Cervia, Cesenatico, the Ferrara Lidi) hires from Easter to September in hotels, restaurants and beach clubs; agriculture needs labour for fruit and vegetables in Romagna and the Ferrara area and for the grape harvest. Farm work is often arranged through cooperatives and agencies. The market suffers a shortage of technicians and skilled workers, with many firms recruiting abroad.

Employment services

Job centres are run by the regional employment agency (Agenzia regionale per il lavoro), a body of the Region, which publishes vacancies, calls and programmes (GOL, regional disability fund); ART-ER, the regional consortium company, handles attractiveness, research and business location. The Region has a very extensive network of accredited training providers and one of Italy's most developed systems of higher technical institutes (ITS).

Employment rate (15-64)

Regional figurePeriod: 2025Validsample unknown

Source: ISTAT – Rilevazione sulle forze di lavoro: tasso di occupazione (dataflow 150_915, DCCV_TAXOCCU1)

71.4 %

Unemployment rate (15-74)

Regional figurePeriod: 2025Validsample unknown

Source: ISTAT – Rilevazione sulle forze di lavoro: tasso di disoccupazione (dataflow 151_914, DCCV_TAXDISOCCU1)

4.1 %