5.4 Work and the Job Market 👨🏾‍🏭👷🏼‍♀️

3 min read•november 12, 2020

Kallie Hoffman

AP Italian 🇮🇹

39 resources

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Work and the Job Market 👨🏾‍🏭👷🏼‍♀️

The unemployment rate in Italy is extremely high, which has created an unstable job market and a weak economy. After the financial crisis of 2008, many workers were uncared for or laid off. Even today, Italy has one of the largest levels of public debt in Europe.

The majority of the unemployed are young people, which makes the competition for work much more intense. The labor market has evolved, and there are more opportunities for individuals and greater relations between workers and their employers, but the situation is still a major issue of note.

*North - factory work + industry 🏭 🏭

*South - agriculture + farm work 👨🏻‍🌾 👩🏿‍🌾

Italian Work Culture

In Italy, there is an emphasis on the relationship between work and family, so Italians always preserve enough time for personal interests. This mentality has been strained due to the pressures of the job market and is especially felt by young people. But, unlike in the United States, the mentality is that Italians work to live and do NOT live to work 👍🏼

Benefits ✔️ ✔️

Max 40 hours per week
- Mon - Fri, 9 AM - 6 PM
4 weeks paid leave, 11 bank holidays
Public National Health Service
- Free health care for all people
- Hospital care, emergency care, primary care, pharmaceuticals, diagnostic services, free prescription drugs
2 months paid maternity leave 🤰🏻 👶🏽
Additional benefits may include private health insurance, company car, mobile phone, meal voucher, additional training, etc.

How to Get a Job in Italy

In-Demand 🌶️ 🔥

The most in-demand jobs for locals and foreigners are in the health care system, such as nurses, doctors, and therapists. Other useful professions are in the fields of mathematics, computer science, sales, and marketing. Also, speaking English fluently is key 🗝️ 🗝️

Important Stats:

68% of pop work in service industry, accounting for 74% of Italy's GDP
- 12.8% of pop work in tourism industry, accounting for 11.8% of Italy's GDP
  - 51 world heritage sites, ~ 50 mil visitors per year, visitors accounted for ~ 40 bil euros
- UniCredit Bank, Assicurazioni Generali insurance, road transport system
25.9% of pop work in manufacturing industry
- Small and medium sized businesses in clusters, "Industrial Triangle" = Milan, Turin, Genoa
- Automobiles, iron, steel, textiles, machine tools, chemicals and food
3.7% of pop work in agriculture industry, totaling 1.6 mil farms
- North = dairy, corn, fruits, meat AND South = fruits, wheat

*Information Gathered from WorldAtlas

Best Places for Job Opportunities

In general, the larger the city, the more available the work. At the same time, the cost of living is usually higher. The cities with the greatest infrastructure and opportunities are Rome, Milan, Bologna, Firenze, Bergamo, Turin, and Naples.

Top Six Cities in Italy for Employment:

Turin - pop of over 800,000, close proximity to Milan + Geneva, cultural activities, parks, museums, and extensive public transport
Milan - pop of over 1.3 mil, conservative mentality, minimal english spoken, known for industry, fashion, and finance
Varese - pop of ~ 80,000, 30 miles N of Milan, known for industry and specialized agriculture
Florence - pop of over 300,000, tourism tourism tourism
Rome - pop of over 2.5 mil, melting pot of people, it's the Capital!!
Bologna - pop of over 350,000, home to auto manufacturers, banks, electronics, leather products and clothing

*Information Gathered from Expat Exchange