Italian telecom operators have never been so light on staff. In 2025 the number of employees has fallen to approx 53,900 peoplecompared to 55,500 in 2024: a cut of 1,600 positions in twelve months, almost 3%. It is the lowest figure since 2010, when the sector employed 74,200: in fifteen years the sector has lost over 20,000 workers, equal to approximately 27%.
The data emerges from Telecommunications Supply Chain Report 2026developed by the Digital Innovation Observatories of the Polytechnic of Milan and presented on 22 October 2026 in Rome, at Luiss Guido Carli, during the National Telecommunications Forum organized by Asstel-Assotelecommunications together with Slc-Cgil, Fistel-Cisl and UilFpc-Uil. The international comparison is not comforting: with the same revenues as Spain, Italy employs around 10,000 fewer workers.
Call centers, the most affected sector
If network operators retreat, the Customer Management sector suffers even more. Among the 16 main call center and customer service operators surveyed in the report, employees (employees plus temporary workers) fell from around 30,100 to 28,300 in 2025: a drop of 5.9%. Breaking down the data, employees decreased by 4.5% (almost 1,200 people) and temporary workers decreased by as much as 17% (around 550 employees).
The report links the contraction to efficiency policies and the progressive exit of some operators from the Italian market. The paradox is that, in the same period, the turnover of Customer Management managers is grew by 1.5%: fewer people, more revenues, a signal that for the unions weighs on the quality of work even before the numbers.
The president of Asstel, Pietro Labriolaasked the Government for industrial policy choices on energy costs, contribution of large digital platforms to network investments, simplification of authorizations and management of expiring frequencies. The association’s Program Guidelines also appear in the documentation released by Asstel, which Labriola defines as the basis for targeting investments and growth in the sector.
For Slc-Cgil, with the general secretary Riccardo Sacconethe CRM-BPO sector has reached “a decisive turning point”: the sector solidarity fund has spending commitments for social safety nets that are higher than the allocation set aside. Fistel-Cisl, with Alessandro Faraonirecalls that the renewal of the Ccnl Tlc at the end of 2025 has already been partly eroded by inflation, and proposes a permanent table between the Government, businesses and unions with verifiable commitments. UilFpc-Uil, with Except Ugliarolowarns that artificial intelligence must not become an alibi to pass on cost cuts to contracting companies and their employees.
On the training front, the report signals a positive sign: around 2025 50,000 people were involved in training activities (there were 49,000 in 2024), with coverage of almost 99% of staff and an average of 3.6 days per capita. The operators invested almost 12 million euros, 66% with their own resources. However, the underlying issue remains: specialist skills in cybersecurity, data protection and Big Data are difficult to find, while automation driven by artificial intelligence continues to redesign tasks and staff without, according to the unions, there still being stable legislative tools to manage professional reconversion.
