More than 20 percent of the Egyptian workforce in Italy works in the restaurant industry, according to a report by Egypt's manpower ministry.

The report came as the ministry's labour department at the Egyptian consulate in the Italian city of Milan organised a series of field visits to Egyptian restaurant workers to address their grievances and raise their awareness about their legal status in the country, according to state news agency MENA.

The report on the visits said that the Egyptian workers who work in the restaurant industry enjoy a "good reputation and excellent expertise."

Italy is the number one destination for Egyptian expatriates living in Europe.

A report by Egypt's official statistics agency CAPMAS in September 2017 said that 44.8 percent of Egyptians living in Europe, or 560,000 out of a total 1.2 million, live in Italy.

A total of 9.4 million Egyptians were living abroad at end of 2016, CAPMAS said in the same report.