Because of the manpower shortage, 16.2% of working retirees are employed in agriculture to protect crops and ensure food supply. According to ISTAT statistics, 72 thousand of the total 444 thousand retired employees in 2021 are in the countryside, a record rise of 22.4% over 2019. A consequence of the necessity to observe seasonal production cycles and avoid crop loss in the face of the skilled labor scarcity made more obvious during the Covid situation that has impeded the admission of foreign workers who constitute an essential component for agricultural operations.
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