Human resources are a key element of the Group’s strategic vision, which believes in the value of its collaborators and builds its competitive advantage on the expertise and commitment of each individual.

• Employees in the Sustainability Report area represent 63.2% of the Group’s workforce.
• The number of staff members in the Sustainability Report area overall rose by 768 people (+1.5%), though differing workforce trends were recorded in individual countries:
  • the workforce increased significantly in Israel (+13.4%) by about 200 employees, and in Italy (+1.8%), where the number of sales force on payroll continues to rise, while strong growth in Switzerland is ascribable to a significant rise in the number of employees in the insurance segment (+5%) and more importantly to the acquisition of Banca del Gottardo by BSI;
  • the workforce fell in Austria (-3.5%) and in Germany (-3.1%) where downsizing continues as part of a Group reorganisation process;
  • the workforce remains generally stable in France and Spain.