In a 2025 where the global race for artificial intelligence talent has intensified, Italy has come out with a negative balance: 6,300 AI professionals left the country against 6,102 arrivals, a net loss of about 200 people. This is one of the data emerging from the new Top Talent Tracker by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), which analyzed the mobility flows of 221 million professionals in over 200 destinations worldwide.
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Transfers slow down overall
The overall picture shows an unprecedented slowdown: transfers of qualified professionals fell from 3.7 to 3.3 million, a decrease of 11.6% after years of growth. The slowdown, to be honest, affects the highest value-added segments: -19% for PhD researchers, -13% for STEM profiles, -12% for artificial intelligence.
The Italian situation
For Italy, the picture is mixed. Of the total qualified, arrivals decrease by 9.8%, less than the European average, and retention improves: departures decrease faster than arrivals, by 12.7% against 9.8%. This means that in 2025 fewer qualified Italians left compared to the previous year, not that the country attracts more talent from abroad. However, in artificial intelligence, the balance remains negative: arrivals do not compensate for departures.
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The United States remain the preferred destination
Looking at the generality of qualified Italian professionals leaving the country – a data point the report does not break down for the AI category alone – the main destinations remain the United States (11,136), followed by Spain (6,625), France (4,610), Germany (4,092), Switzerland (3,862) and the United Kingdom (3,653).
Other countries
Globally, the geography of talent is being reshaped: France and Spain are gaining ground in Europe, while Germany (-13.7%), the Netherlands (-15.2%) and Portugal (-21.3%) are retreating. The United Arab Emirates, with nearly 194,000 attracted professionals, challenge the UK’s global second place, while Canada slips from the podium to seventh place.
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