The Italian government has announced it intends to issue nearly 500,000 new work visas for non-European Union nationals during the next three years in an effort to address ongoing labor shortages.

Italy's Cabinet office stated on Monday that 164,850 people will be permitted to enter the country for work in the next year and added that it aims to allow a total of 497,550 in by 2028.

It is the second expansion of legal immigration channels under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's leadership since she took office nearly three years ago as the head of a right-wing coalition.

The Italian government had previously approved more than 450,000 permits for migrants between 2023 and 2025, Reuters reported.

While the prime minister has consistently maintained a strict position on illegal immigration, seeking expedited returns and restricting the operations of NGOs conducting sea rescues, she has simultaneously supported legal pathways for foreign workers to fill crucial workforce gaps.

"The quotas were determined taking into account the needs expressed by the social partners and the actual applications for work permits submitted in previous years, with the aim of a program that responds to the needs of businesses and is also realistic," the Cabinet statement said.

There is growing demographic pressure to expand Italy's legal workforce because the nation faces a rapidly aging population and declining birthrate.

Last year, Italy saw its population drop by 37,000, recording 281,000 more deaths than births, which is a pattern that has persisted for more than a decade.

According to experts, the country must attract at least 10 million immigrants by 2050 to maintain stable population levels.

In May, the Bank of Italy warned that an exodus of educated young Italians searching for opportunities abroad was worsening the burden created by an aging workforce.

The bank's governor, Fabio Panetta, said the government must take action to prevent a talent drain, while maximizing youth employment to drive economic expansion.

"Attractive employment opportunities need to be created for the many Italians who leave the country in search of better prospects," said Panetta.

The Financial Times newspaper reported that about 156,000 Italians left the country last year for Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and elsewhere, which equates to a 36.5 percent increase in emigration numbers compared to 2023.

Industry leaders have backed the government's latest visa initiative, with the proposal earning praise from Coldiretti, the country's leading agricultural association, which welcomed it as essential for maintaining farm workforce levels and securing the future of Italy's food production sector.

"The government will continue with determination to allow legal migration channels, benefiting important sectors of our economy," Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told La Stampa newspaper.