Italy Corporate Wellness Market - Forecasts from 2023 to 2028

The Italy corporate wellness market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.76% during the forecast period from US$1.509 billion in 2021, to US$2.089 billion by 2028.

Corporate wellness programs are highly sought after in Italy because they enhance workers' general health and happiness, which raises productivity, improves employee retention, and results in lower healthcare expenses for the business. The corporate wellness industry in Italy provides a wide range of services, including health screenings, healthy eating programs, mental health assistance, and stress management classes.

According to the most recent projections from the Excelsior Unioncamere/ANPAL information system, there will be a total need for employment of almost 3.8 million people (or nearly 7,60,000 individuals per year) between 2023 and 2027. The services sector (3.3% or 2.88 million people) will meet 75% of the demand, followed by industry (2.6% or 8,00,000 people) and agriculture (2.4% or 1,10,000 people). This increase will impact the growth of corporate wellness programs in the region.

Various initiatives by key players

Companies in Italy use MantraCare as their vendor of choice for employee wellness programs. Numerous employee benefits programs are available, including EAP, Corporate Yoga, fitness classes, financial wellness, the Steps challenge, physical therapy, women's well-being, chronic disease reversal (for Diabetes and hypertension), meditation, work counseling, and other wellness initiatives. Employee wellness programs in Italy typically cost €500 per person per year. This price covers the price of immunizations, health exams, and other preventative care procedures. Additionally, it pays for the price of counselling and health education services.

Moreover, the development, implementation, and delivery of corporate wellness, well-being, healthcare services, sports medicine, exercise prescription, and primary prevention are provided by MedEx. It was the first company in Italy to receive quality certification (Bureau Veritas Certification - ISO 9001). This is accomplished via Med-Ex's assessment methodology, which seeks to identify possible risk factors and gather performance data to prescribe a customized exercise regimen, offer dietary guidance, and monitor the individuals.

Increasing workplace stress

Corporate wellness initiatives by the government in Italy lower the risk of chronic illnesses and advance workers' general health and well-being. Numerous chronic ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, and mental health issues, are being caused by stress.

Although there has been a policy to improve mental well-being in children, adolescents, and young people agreed with a deal between the Ministry of Health in Italy, regions, and autonomous provinces through the national preventative plan, in 2014, mental health treatments are still intended for all residents. The 2020–2025 plan included a new proposal for the 2014 PNP activities. This plan emphasizes the link between mental health and physical health and the fact that, like other aspects of health, it can be influenced by a variety of socioeconomic determinants that must be addressed through comprehensive strategies for promotion, prevention, treatment, and recovery.

According to the OECD Better Life Index, it is estimated that 58% of Italians between the ages of 15 and 64 are employed, which is less than the OECD average of 66%. Approximately 67% of males and 49% of women both work for a living. In Italy, 3% of employees work extremely long hours for pay, which is below the OECD average of 10%; 4% of males and 2% of women in this country work very long hours for pay. Long working hours have increased the level of stress in these employees.

Government initiatives for mental health awareness

To deal with increasing mental health issues all citizens and authorized foreign residents in Italy are automatically covered by the National Health Service. It is supported by corporate and value-added tax income that the national government collects and distributes to the regional governments, which are in charge of providing healthcare. The majority of primary care, inpatient treatment, and health screenings are provided gratis to residents. Preventive medicine, prescription drugs, home care, hospice care, specialist care, and maternity care are additional statutory advantages.

Furthermore, in November 2022, "Healthy, Prosperous Lives for All in Italy," a new study from the Italian Health Equity Status Study Initiative (IHESRi), was proposed which examines the factors that prevent individuals from living healthy lives and offers crucial suggestions for lowering health disparity. IHESRi reiterates WHO/Europe's and the Italian Ministry of Health's dedication to advancing health and health equality in the nation.

Increasing focus of large enterprises on corporate wellness

Corporate wellness programs emphasize employee health improvement and make them more productive. The demand for such initiatives is slowly gaining traction in large enterprises where there is a higher prevalence of job stress due to high workloads. Italy is witnessing a significant increase in its strength of large enterprises fueled by favorable investments and policies to bolster the nation’s overall industrial growth and corporate culture. For instance, according to the Italian National Institute of Statistics, in 2021, the overall strength of larger enterprises (employing more than 250 employees) stood at 4,279 a 2.5% increase over the total number of large enterprises recorded in 2020.

Significant rise in active enterprise population

Italy is also witnessing a significant increase in its active enterprise population which is also augmenting the overall Italy corporate wellness market demand in the nation. For instance, according to the Eurostat, in 2020, Italy behind France witnessed the second largest active enterprise population with 3.8 million. Though the nation witnessed a slight decrease in its overall GDP growth due to COVID-19, however, favorable government schemes and policies to uplift the corporate sector have bolstered the growth of large enterprises in Italy thereby providing positive scope for corporate wellness programs to be used in such enterprises. Furthermore, the well-established presence of major corporate wellness providers such as Med-Ex which became the first company in Italy to receive ISO 9001 certification for its implementing its corporate well-being and healthcare services and has close ties with major sports automotive manufacturers such as Ferrari is also acting as an additional driving factor for overall Italy corporate wellness market growth.

Segmentation:

By Type

• Weight Management & Fitness
• Smoking Cessation
• Stress Management
• Others

By Enterprise Size

• Small
• Medium
• Large

By Province

• Lombard
• Lazio
• Veneto
• Piedmont
• Sicilia
• Others