Molise has been losing people steadily – more than 30,000 residents have left over the last 25 years. The region that once counted 320,000 inhabitants now has fewer than 290,000. Out of 136 municipalities, nearly half have under 6,000 residents, and only three – Campobasso, Termoli, and Isernia – manage to exceed 20,000. The numbers show a region battling demographic decline, aging communities, and fragile local economies.

A new proposal sets out to change this trajectory by focusing on citizens who moved away for work, especially public employees over 45 now living outside Molise. The idea is simple but ambitious – offer them structured remote work opportunities so they can keep their jobs while settling back in their home region.