Como and Lecco: risk of losing 14 thousand workers by 2029

Context

TL;DR

• By 2029, Como and Lecco risk losing over 14 thousand working-age people
• In the Como area, 54,5% of the profiles sought are impossible to find
• ASST Lariana: 40 hires out of 170 nursing positions
• The Tremezzina bypass is scheduled for 2031

• Who → UIL Lario, UILFP Lario Brianza and UIL Scuola Como
• Area → provinces of Como and Lecco
• Horizon → by 2029
• Work → 54,5% of the profiles sought in the Como area are impossible to find
• Healthcare → 170 nursing positions, 40 hires; 45 positions for family and community nurses, 10 recruited

By 2029, the provinces of Como and Lecco risk losing over 14 thousand working-age people. The warning was issued by UIL Lario, UILFP Lario Brianza and UIL Scuola Como, which put the attractiveness of the area at the center of the debate.

A solid economy and strong demand for labor, according to the organizations, are no longer enough to persuade people to live and stay in the area. In the Como area, the signal is already measurable: 54,5% of the profiles sought by businesses are impossible to find due to a lack of candidates.

The paradox of essential services

UIL identifies the strengthening of public services as a precondition for economic development. To make Como attractive, healthcare, schools and efficient public administrations are needed. Yet the same sectors struggle to attract and retain staff.

Healthcare makes the problem concrete. In the competition announced by ASST Lariana for 170 permanent nursing positions, only 40 people were hired because the ranking list was exhausted. For the 45 positions for family and community nurses, only 10 people were recruited.

«We cannot seek nurses, teachers and public-sector staff without asking ourselves where they will be able to live and how they will be able to get around»

They explain it in unison: Dario Esposito, coordinator of UIL Lombardia Lario, Massimo Coppia, general secretary of UILFP Lario e Brianza, and Gerardo Salvo, general secretary of UIL Scuola Como. The sentence sums up the point of the complaint: a job offer cannot be separated from the material conditions of the area.

For a cross-border commuter reading these data, the reference to the Milan-Como-Chiasso line is one of the explicit links to daily mobility: the source mentions over 26 thousand daily travelers. It does not add schedules, individual travel times or alternative routes. To stick to the documented figure and explore only the topic of connections, the mezzi pubblici del Canton Ticino are available.

Operational details

Housing, mobility and schools are not separate chapters

A practical reading of the UIL complaint starts with a change of perspective. Having a job available is not enough if a person cannot find housing, manage daily travel or integrate their family into local services. This is also relevant to the cross-border commuter who views the Como area as a place to live, without turning the source into a guide to cross-border rules.

The first filter is housing. Rising prices and the growth of the so-called «grey area» make finding housing an insurmountable obstacle. The source uses this term for those who cannot access public housing but cannot afford the costs of the free market.

| Issue | Evidence reported | What it indicates | | Housing | Rising prices and growth of the «grey area» | Finding housing can become an insurmountable obstacle | | Mobility | More than 26 thousand travelers on the Milan-Como-Chiasso line; Como-Lecco is single-track and diesel-powered; the Tremezzina bypass is scheduled for 2031 | Complex connections weigh on daily life | | Schools and services | Educational provision and the network of personal services | An indispensable condition for the stable integration of families |

The most useful point for the cross-border commuter is the coexistence of these three issues. The number of travelers shows the scale of mobility on the Milan-Como-Chiasso line, but the source does not indicate how many are cross-border commuters and does not distinguish between the different reasons for travel. The reference to the Como-Lecco line and the Tremezzina bypass likewise describes infrastructure and expected timelines, not an individual solution.

To avoid misunderstandings, the scope does not include the G permit, AVS, LPP, LAMal, tax revenue shares, withholding tax or double taxation: the source provides no data on these areas. Its contribution concerns a territory’s ability to retain people through housing, mobility, schools, healthcare and public administration. To supplement this reading with a housing check, you can consult costo della vita in Ticino e in Italia.

Useful planning tools

To estimate your pension strategy, use the pension planner and the pillar 3 simulator.

Key points

A four-step check

The source does not propose forms, offices, or documents to submit. The possible action is therefore an assessment framework built around the issues identified by UIL, without turning territorial data into an administrative procedure.

1. Set the timeframe. Note the two time references found in the source: by 2029 for the risk of losing working-age people and 2031 for the expected completion of the Tremezzina bypass. They are not personal deadlines, but dates useful for understanding the evolution of the area.

2. Assess housing. Describe the necessary housing solution and check whether rising prices or belonging to the «gray area» represent an obstacle. The source does not provide rents, addresses, or financial thresholds: values not contained in the text must not be added.

3. Reconstruct mobility. Consider the Milan-Como-Chiasso line, the Como-Lecco connection, which is still single-track and uses diesel traction, and the Tremezzina bypass. The source points to complex connections, but does not indicate schedules, individual travel times, or alternative routes; the assessment must remain anchored to these elements.

4. Focus on schools and services. If the choice involves a family, include in the assessment the school provision and the network of personal services, identified as essential conditions for stable integration. If it concerns healthcare, school, or public administration, supplement the application with the question of where to live and how to get around.

For a cross-border worker, this checklist separates the documented territorial conditions from the information the source does not provide. After collecting these items, compare disposable income with calcolatore stipendio.

Source: comozero.it