Italy’s draft 2027 budget proposes 6,974 fewer school staff positions from 2027-28, bringing a declining student population into sharper focus in education and public-sector staffing.
Italy’s Cabinet approved the draft last week. The draft 2027 budget law sets out 4,925 teaching posts and 2,049 nonteaching positions for reduction. It would cap public-sector hiring to replace retiring staff at 75%. Government estimates put savings from the cap at €336 million over 2027 and 2028.
Those changes add to reductions already set out in the 2025 budget law: 5,660 teacher posts from 2025-26 and 2,174 nonteaching positions from 2026-27.
Official data show primary and secondary enrollment declined to 7.7 million in 2024-25 from 8.4 million in 2017-18. The demographic pressure also appears in birth records: a prior EconoTimes report on births through July reported 196,864 births, down 1.1% year over year.
The Italian Labour Union (UIL) said declining enrollment could help schools reduce class sizes and improve education quality, but warned that staffing cuts would add pressure to a system already affected by precarious employment.
Mario Rusconi of principals’ association ANP told la Repubblica: “Demographic decline is real, a very serious problem. But it cannot be used as an excuse to further weaken our public education system.”
Reuters reported protests by unions, principals and opposition parties over the proposal. It cited European Union deficit limits and high energy costs as constraints on extra spending, while reporting October inflation of 5.6% in a slow-growing economy. Reuters said the government faces a 2027 election as cost-of-living protests have included students calling for more investment in schools and universities. It reported that some of the demonstrations have turned violent. Italy’s Education Ministry was not immediately available for comment, Reuters said.
The staffing changes are scheduled to begin in the 2027-28 school year.
