Varese first in Lombardy with export +23.2% (cross-border guide)

Context

In brief

• Varese export Q1 2026: +23,2% vs 2025, first place in Lombardy
• Aerospace +111,9%: from 276.3 to 585.6 million in exports
• CIGS +14.9%: extraordinary unemployment benefit increases
• Switzerland engine: +21.2% Lombardy export to CH

• What: Export of the province of Varese and aerospace sector
• When: First quarter 2026 (January-March)
• Where: Province of Varese, Italian Lombardy
• Who: UIL Lombardy, Unioncamere Lombardy, ISTAT
• Amount: +23.2% total export; +111.9% aerospace; 585.6 million euros Q1 2026
• Share: Varese concentrates 82% of Lombardy's aerospace export
• Markets: Switzerland +21.2%, EU +1.0%, USA -4.4%

In the first quarter of 2026, the province of Varese outperforms all other Lombard provinces with a surge in exports: +23.2% compared to the same period in 2025. This is the best result in the region, with a significant margin: the second province in the ranking, Lecco, stops at +6.3%, followed by Monza and Brianza at +5.7%. The data emerges from the first issue of the report "Lombard Industry. Producing is not enough," elaborated by the industrial policies of UIL Lombardy based on data from Unioncamere Lombardy and ISTAT, presented in Varese during September.

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Operational details

The province of Varese presents itself as a crucial economic territory in the transfrontier context of Ticino-Lombardia. Many Ticino cross-border workers daily work in manufacturing, logistics, and service companies in the province of Varese, crossing the borders of Brogeda and Gaggiolo. The export dynamics in Q1 2026 reveal a dual and fragile economy at the same time. On one hand, the aerospace sector represents an island of excellence and specialization: the 111.9% increase means that companies and suppliers in this sector have received significant orders, presumably linked to civil or defense programs. This growth benefits qualified workers — engineers, specialized technicians, logisticians, administrative personnel — who operate in the Varese aerospace companies' headquarters. Many of these professionals can be Swiss cross-border workers with a G work permit, attracted by career opportunities in the high-tech sector and the geographical proximity to the Canton Ticino. On the other hand, the overall growth masks deep fragilities. Traditional sectors that historically employed the workforce of the supply chain — textiles-clothing-leather (-7.9%), chemicals (-6.1%), machinery (-5.5%) — are declining. These sectors employ thousands of workers, process technicians, maintainers, and production personnel in small and medium-sized enterprises in the province. Many Ticino cross-border workers work in these sectors, where margins are low, and pressure on energy and raw material costs remains very high. For them, the growth of aerospace exports represents growth for an elite, not general protection of employment. The data on the growth of exports to Switzerland (+21.2%) is more positive: it means that Lombard companies have found stable commercial outlets with Swiss buyers. For Ticino cross-border workers who work in companies that export to Switzerland, this growth can translate into job stability and opportunities for requalification. Switzerland remains a strategic reference market for the Lombard border industry. ### Risk signals However, the data on extraordinary layoffs (+14.9% in the January-June 2026 period) is alarming. The CIGS, different from the CIGO (ordinary, linked to cyclical fluctuations), signals corporate reorganizations, supply chain crises, and solidarity contracts. It means that dozens of companies have started extraordinary layoff procedures for restructuring, downsizing, or crisis. Antonio Massafra, coordinator of UIL Varese, emphasizes that 'the pressures on energy and raw material costs continue to weigh heavily on the supply chain sectors and traditional sectors' — exactly the sectors where many cross-border workers operate. The UIL's conclusion is strong: 'the increase in the use of layoffs signals that the growth of foreign sales does not protect all workers.' For a Ticino cross-border worker employed in a Varese SME, this means that the net salary is not guaranteed even if the company exports well, if the supply chain suffers a crisis. The increase in inflation in August 2026 — from 2.9% to 3.3%, with energy goods going from 11.6% to 17% — adds further pressure: industrial costs grow, and already fragile companies risk deeper crises.

Key points

For those working as cross-border commuters in the province of Varese or in Lombardy border companies, the economic landscape of Q1 2026 requires attention and concrete preparation. Export growth is not uniform: some sectors and companies are progressing rapidly (aerospace, exports to Switzerland), while others are declining or reorganizing. The increase in extraordinary wage supplements is a sign of the fragility of the supply chain and its ability to protect employment. Local trade union institutions — UIL Lombardia, CGIL, and CISL territorial — have highlighted this contradiction in the report presented in Varese. The confederate secretary of UIL Lombardia, Vittorio Sarti, has requested an "industrial reading province by province" to monitor the priority supply chains, investments, skills, and management of the CIG. This means that in the Varese area, there is a growing awareness of the need to preserve jobs and skills. For the general secretary of UIL Lombardia, Antonio Albrizio, the economic phase "is not recessive, but requires preventive, selective, and participatory industrial policy." If you are a cross-border commuter with a G permit working in a Varese SME exposed to contracting sectors, some steps are useful: Verify the sector of your company: Consult the UIL report to understand if your sector (textiles, chemicals, machinery, automobiles) is among the declining sectors. If so, cost pressure can lead to reorganizations or CIGS. Monitor company communications: If the company communicates restructuring, mergers, change of ownership, or order stalls, prepare for possible extraordinary wage supplement procedures. Contact the union: In Italy, the local union (UIL Varese, CGIL territorial, CISL) offers free advice on wage supplement rights, allowances, and labor protection. A relationship with the company union delegate is a valuable resource. Calculate the impact on the paycheck: Simulate CIGS scenarios (80% allowance of the taxable base, monthly limits) with a cross-border salary calculator to understand how possible wage supplements would affect the overall net amount, considering CH-IT taxes, exemptions, and refunds. ### Tools and next steps Some concrete tools are available to you: Salary simulator: Use our salary calculator to assess the impact of a reduction in hours (CIGS), a change in RAL, or a change in economic sector. Enter the parameters and view the difference between gross and net salary, with Swiss withholding and Italian tax credit. Sector monitor: Download or consult the UIL report "Lombardy Industry. Producing is not enough" to stay updated on quarterly export, employment, and crisis dynamics by province and sector. Specialized job ads: If your sector is fragile, explore opportunities for requalification or change of supply chain. The Lombardy border labor market remains vital, especially in aerospace, logistics, healthcare, and specialized services. Our job ads engine filters opportunities in the provinces of Varese, Como, Lecco for cross-border professionals. Wage supplement rights: In case of CIGS, you are entitled to ordinary allowance. The procedure is managed by the Italian INPS and coordinated with the employer. Ask your human resources office for details of the procedure and specific deadlines. Do you want to prepare for salary variation scenarios and understand the impact on your cross-border paycheck? Use our salary calculator to simulate situations and plan your income in time.