Public employment in Italy

Italy: Public employment was 24,916 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
24,916
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
8th
of 47 countries
All-time high
25,023
in 2008
All-time low
17,960
in 2005
Years of data
19
2005–2023

Public employment in Italy, 2005–2023

010.0k20.0k30.0k2005201420232005: 18.0k2006: 18.4k2007: 18.6k2008: 25.0k2009: 24.3k2010: 24.1k2011: 24.2k2012: 23.8k2013: 23.2k2014: 23.3k2015: 23.4k2016: 23.8k2017: 23.9k2018: 24.1k2019: 24.1k2020: 21.5k2021: 23.5k2022: 24.4k2023: 24.9k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

Italy recorded 24,916 for public employment in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 7.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public employment in Italy peaked at 25,023 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 17,960, in 2005.

That places Italy 8th out of 47 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Public employment in Italy, year by year

Annual values for Public employment in Italy, 2005 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2005 17,960
2006 18,357 +2.2%
2007 18,640 +1.5%
2008 25,023 +34.2%
2009 24,336 -2.7%
2010 24,130 -0.8%
2011 24,162 +0.1%
2012 23,830 -1.4%
2013 23,250 -2.4%
2014 23,298 +0.2%
2015 23,440 +0.6%
2016 23,758 +1.4%
2017 23,945 +0.8%
2018 24,125 +0.8%
2019 24,137 +0.0%
2020 21,451 -11.1%
2021 23,511 +9.6%
2022 24,387 +3.7%
2023 24,916 +2.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 20,863 17,960 25,023 5
2010s 23,808 23,250 24,162 10
2020s 23,566 21,451 24,916 4

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 5 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 32,576 compare
  2. 6 France 30,623 compare
  3. 7 Republic of Korea 28,600 compare
  4. 9 Egypt 24,219 compare
  5. 10 Tanzania, United Republic of 24,139 compare
  6. 11 Netherlands 10,266 compare

See the full ranking of 47 places →

More work & labour data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is public employment in Italy?
Public employment in Italy was 24,916 in 2023, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest public employment recorded in Italy?
The highest recorded value was 25,023 in 2008.
What is the lowest public employment recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 17,960 in 2005.
How does Italy rank for public employment?
Italy ranks 8th out of 47 countries with data for 2023.
Is public employment rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Italy data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Public employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public employment in Italy. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/public-employment/italy/

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About this data

Indicator
Public employment
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
47 places, 681 data points, 1975–2024
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The total public sector employment covers all employment of general government sector as defined in System of National Accounts 1993 plus employment of publicly owned enterprises and companies, resident and operating at central, state (or regional) and local levels of government. It covers all persons employed directly by those institutions, without regard for the particular type of employment contract. See the working paper: Statistics on Public Sector Employment: Methodology, Structures and Trends. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.