In line with the provisions for the central government sector, permanent staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation are organised into four areas (Operational Staff Area; Assistant Staff Area; Officials’ Area; Senior Professionals’ Area). Within each area, tasks and duties are equivalent and interchangeable, and may be assigned according to the needs of work organisation. In each area, staff are classified into professional groups. The current staff classification system was adopted through the contratto collettivo integrativo siglato nell’ottobre 2024 (supplementary collective agreement signed in October 2024).
Access to employment with this Administration is regulated by the legislative and contractual provisions relating to employment in the public sector. These provisions provide for recruitment following competitive selection procedures, mobility procedures and allocation within the Public Administration, or through other specific forms of recruitment in cases strictly provided for and protected by law. For roles requiring only compulsory education, subject to any additional requirements for specific job profiles, recruitment takes place by ranking applicants on the employment and placement lists in numerical order, according to the ranking order resulting from the lists of the relevant local employment districts.
Recruitment takes place through the signing of an individual employment contract at the conclusion of the aforementioned competitive selection procedures, in accordance with the following principles:
- adequate publicity for the recruitment process (on the Foreign Ministry’s website, www.esteri.it, alongside publication on the inPA Recruitment portal) and procedures that guarantee impartiality and ensure the process is cost-effective and swift, making use, where appropriate, of automated systems, also for the purposes of pre-selection;
- the adoption of objective and transparent mechanisms, suitable for checking that candidates meet the aptitude and professional requirements for the post to be filled;
- respect for equal opportunities between female and male employees;
- composition of selection panels exclusively with experts of proven competence in the subjects of the competitive examination.
Subject to the requirements set out in the National Collective Labour Agreement (CCNL) for the central government sector, access to almost all professional groups within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation requires proof of proficiency in English and a second foreign language chosen from those specified in the competitive examination notice, as well as proficiency in the use of standard IT equipment and applications.
The required qualifications are as follows:
– operational staff: completion of compulsory education;
– assistant staff: upper secondary education;
– officials: degree (bachelor’s or master’s degree);
– senior professionals: master’s degree, normally matched by several years of work experience in specialist and/or managerial roles, which may also require registration with professional associations.
The total number of Foreign Ministry’s employees as at December 31, 2024 stands at 4,014, broken down as follows:
- diplomats: 1,086.
- managers: 38, of whom 5 are in the cultural promotion sector.
- other areas’s employees: 2,885.