Graduates really have a better chance of finding work in Italy and the advantage is not small: based on the latest Istat data, the employment rate of graduates between 25 and 64 years of age is 84.7%. Those with only a high school diploma stop at 74%, while those with an even lower qualification reach just 55%. But not all fields of study guarantee the same advantage, nor all universities.
If the share of Italian graduates is in line with the European average (44% of 25-64 year olds), that of graduates is decidedly lower (22% of Italians versus 36% of Europeans). These data tell us that even if a degree increases the probability of being employed, in Italy there are still few graduates. Furthermore, the share of Italian graduates among 25-34 year olds is only 32%, well below the European target set for 2030 at 45%, and this figure places Italy in second to last place in Europe (ahead only of Romania).
Added to this quantitative problem is an employment problem: although a degree increases the probability of being employed, Italy remains below the EU average: in the European Union the employment rate of graduates reaches 88%, approximately 3 points more than in Italy. This means that, even if a degree in Italy helps, the job placement of Italian graduates is still slightly less favorable than the European average.
However, the unemployment rate for Italian graduates is significantly lower (3%), compared to that of high school graduates (5%) and those with even lower qualifications (9%). Furthermore, among young people aged 20-34 who have obtained their qualification at least 1 year ago and no more than 3 years ago, over 77% of new Italian graduates are already employed, while among recent graduates the figure drops to 61%. Even at the beginning of a career, a degree therefore seems to give an important advantage compared to a diploma, it reduces the risk of unemployment and shortens the time needed to enter the job market. In fact, it doesn’t just matter if you find a job, but also how quickly.
However, the advantage of a degree is not the same for all fields of study: some make entry into the world of work easier.
In 2024, the employment rate among graduates aged 30-34 in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects has exceeded 88%: almost 10 percentage points more than those who chose a humanistic path (78%) and 2 more than graduates in socio-economic and legal areas (86%). This does not mean that humanities degrees do not have an advantage in finding a job compared to a diploma, but that in Italy the job market absorbs technical-scientific profiles more quickly.
The advantage of a degree is also affected by the gender gap. Women in Italy are on average more educated than men (26% have a degree compared to 19% of men), yet the female employment rate remains lower. The good news that comes from the data is that the gender gap is reduced as the educational qualification increases: among graduates it is much smaller than among those who only have a high school diploma or high school diploma.
Even if the degree increases the chances of working throughout Italy, the territory still makes the difference. In the South, 40% of the population aged 25-64 has an upper secondary qualification and 19% a tertiary qualification (47% and 23% are the respective shares in the North; 46% and 26% in the Centre). These data tell us that the South starts from lower levels, but the advantage of the degree remains evident everywhere. However, the quantification of the advantage changes between the North (88%) and the South (77%). However, even if the gap is still large, it is narrowing: among 25-64 year olds in 2018 the gap was 16 percentage points, while in 2024 it was reduced to 11 points.
According to the Censis 2025/2026 ranking, among the mega state universities (over 40 thousand enrolled), the one with the highest score for employability is the University of Milan tied with Pisa, followed by Padua, Florence and Bologna: in short, in the top five for employability the southernmost university is well above the Tiber, confirming that the economic and productive context has a major impact on opportunities. This trend is also found in medium-large and medium-sized universities: the universities of the Centre-North dominate the employability rankings both between 20 thousand and 40 thousand students (where the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia is in the lead, followed by Milan Bicocca, Ferrara, Verona and Genoa) and between 10 thousand and 20 thousand students (first place goes to the Polytechnic University of Marche, followed by Brescia, Insubria, Bergamo and Eastern Piedmont).
A degree is therefore not an absolute guarantee of employment, but data shows that it significantly increases the probability of working, reduces the risk of unemployment, accelerates entry into the job market and (partially) reduces the gender gap.
