Permanent labor observatory between Italy and Switzerland is established

Context

TL;DR

• Permanent forum between Italy and Switzerland
• Presentation on November 20 at Ville Ponti
• Activities launched in March: methodology and initial scenario
• Scenarios for 2050 and workshops on logistics and tourism

Key facts

• Project → Forum Insubria 2050
• Objective → sharing data and good practices on work
• Funding → Interreg VI-A Italy-Switzerland Programme
• Location → Ville Ponti di Varese
• Italian lead partner → LIUC - Università Cattaneo
• Activities launched → March this year
• Next phase → scenarios for 2050
• Workshops → logistics and tourism

On November 20, at Ville Ponti di Varese, the first activities of Forum Insubria 2050 will be presented. It is a permanent cross-border forum, intended to pool useful data and experiences on the Italian and Swiss labor markets.

The project is co-financed by the Interreg VI-A Italy-Switzerland Programme and was created to address transformations in work and skills. Its stated aim is to guide employment and training policies, taking into account a labor market that involves both sides of the border.

At its center is the ability to attract and retain talent as demographics, professions, and personal expectations change. The source therefore presents a territorial agenda, not a measure intended for a single company or a specific contractual category.

Who participates and what has already been done

The partnership brings together LIUC - Università Cattaneo, the Italian lead partner, SUPSI, Istat, Camera di commercio di Varese and ECAP Consulenze. It began in March this year; during the first eight-month phase, the partners developed a common methodology and outlined a starting scenario.

«The labor market in these areas is already highly interdependent»

The transition indicated by the source is therefore from sharing data and knowledge to building common responses, with a broader horizon than the immediate needs of individual companies.

Operational details

From the initial snapshot to fieldwork

The project already has an initial foundation, but it has not yet presented the scenarios for 2050 or the outcomes of the workshops. The source distinguishes what was done in the first eight months from what is to follow: on the one hand, a common methodology and a starting scenario; on the other, the development of future scenarios and practical discussions with businesses.

A clear sequence

The comparison shows a transition from defining a shared foundation to field validation. However, it would not be correct to present 2050 as an already formulated forecast: the source refers to the development of scenarios. Similarly, logistics and tourism are the sectors identified for the launch of the workshops, not results already achieved.

For someone who works across the border as a cross-border worker, the concrete connection concerns the market under consideration. The forum brings Italy and Switzerland together and addresses employment, training, skills and regional development; it does not announce an individual measure concerning a contract or salary. Rather, what affects working life are the conditions that make a territory attractive, such as being able to find housing, access childcare services and get around easily.

Beyond the job role

These factors broaden the discussion beyond the mere availability of jobs. The source also links attracting and retaining people to the growing demand for a balance between private life and professional activity. In the project, employment policy is therefore considered together with the territorial conditions that businesses must take into account when seeking to attract and retain people.

This is the point relevant to cross-border work: the project does not yet measure the effect of these conditions, but includes them in the common analysis. The distinction between the initial foundation and future scenarios prevents attributing to the forum results that the source still places in the next stage.

Key points

Skills and scope limitations

Forum Insubria 2050 also considers demographic changes and differing expectations between generations. The project identifies three needs: recognizing women's skills, preserving the knowledge base of experienced workers and responding to young people's expectations. These are distinct elements, but brought together in the same reflection on the skills needed by local areas.

The source adds a second level of transformation. Changes related to climate, water and energy make new professional profiles and coordinated solutions necessary. The text does not list what these professional profiles are or quantify their need; it does, however, document the link between environmental transformations and the future organization of work.

From skills to strategy

The process will continue with scenarios for 2050 and workshop activities carried out in the field with businesses, beginning with logistics and tourism. The ultimate objective is to derive from the analysis guidance capable of shaping strategic decisions on employment, training and the development of local areas. This is a stated objective, not an announcement of decisions already taken or results already measured.

The connection with cross-border workers therefore remains limited to the labor market between Italy and Switzerland and to the discussion of territorial conditions. The text does not quantify the cross-border workers, provide a separate analysis for Canton Ticino or indicate how many workers or businesses will be involved in the workshops.

These limits define what can be attributed to the news item: Forum Insubria 2050 is described as a process of analysis, discussion and workshops, not as a framework governing the individual conditions of cross-border work.

Source: tio.ch