Young Italians protest saying theirs is not a country for the young
High unemployment is pushing thousands of young Italians to seek jobs abroad. They are part of a tidal wave of young Europeans heading for Australia and many are using the 457 visa, Roanna Sanelli writes from Melbourne.
Travelling through Italy it is not uncommon to be captivated by the quaintness of the narrow streets and the tempting aroma of an authentic wood-fired pizza. And seeing the vivacity of the people, the large debt that is so frequently in the news is often forgotten.
But look a little closer and you can spot the problems Italians are facing on a daily basis.
In a small district in Milan I met 24-year-old barista Andrea Tartaglia. Like any good Italian, he struck up a conversation and was surprised I could speak the language.
“Ahh Australia. Is there a crisis there too?” he asked curiously.
I shook my head. This was a question I had been asked before. His gaped with surprise and stared at me for what felt like an eternity. He had lived with this situation for so long he couldn’t believe it could be any different.
And he’s not the only one. There are many young Italians battling the same ‘crisis’. Tartaglia says the future for graduates is bleak and like many others, he dreams of a better life. The young seek “fortune” he says and there is no longer any in Italy. So he comes to the same conclusion many have already arrived at: go abroad.
Jobs for young Italians are rapidly disappearing – in terms of distribution of employment, the elderly still hold precedence.
Dr Francesco Ricatti, Cassamarca senior lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast, says many still rely on the family as the “most important and supportive institution in society”. Dr Ricatti believes that gerontocracy, the name given to this social and economic system that favours the older generations, has a direct impact on the ability of the young to find jobs.
The Italian government’s financial mismanagement of the global financial crisis has also contributed significantly to the problem the media has dubbed “La Fuga Dei Cervelli”: the “Brain Drain”.
Lack of funds has left the nation in recession for almost three years and attempts to deal with the GFC have included a reduction in public spending and cuts in funding of more than one billion euros to universities and other educational institutions. These measures went ahead despite the warnings of economists who argued that southern European economies would take longer to emerge from the crisis if the only solutions were austerity measures.
Dr Ricatti said there was an underlying tension between the requirements of the financial markets and the needs of the economy that made it difficult for the government to implement key economic reforms. The austerity measures combined with the decaying social structure are having a devastating impact, killing the dreams of the promising young talent in the country.
With 37.8 per cent of young Italians unemployed, more and more are making the life-changing decision to go abroad in search of work. Yet unlike the post World War II migration wave, it is the university graduates who are knocking on the doors of other nations. This comes at a cost for Italy.
Unemployment is driving Italians overseas, first stop Europe, then Australia
Giorgio Squinzi, president of the Confindustria (Italian Employers Federation), estimates that the departure of many young professionals is costing the country around five million euros annually. The mainstream media portrays certain foreign countries as prosperous with a plethora of job opportunities at every street corner, and Australia is prominent among them with around 10,000 young Italians arriving here every year. And 68.5 per cent arrived here on a 457 visa in 2012.
Designed to be temporary in nature, the 457 skilled migration program allows trained immigrants to be sponsored by a company to occupy a vacant position if there is no suitable Australian worker to fill the vacancy.
A spokesperson for Australian Federal Immigration and Citizenship Minister, Brendan O’Connor, said that although the visa scheme was only for a limited period there was an expectation that a proportion of people on 457 visas, about 55 per cent, would eventually become permanent residents.
The spokesperson said that while the scheme promotes the plentiful opportunities in Australia, some companies are exploiting the system for their own personal benefit.
“What began as a solution to skills shortage, the last resort, has now created a culture of ‘we can choose’ for businesses and companies.”
This has led to the belief held by four out of ten Australians that foreign workers are being prioritised over locals. But following the crackdown on alleged rorting of the scheme, the Immigration Department has announced a package of measures to close loopholes and make it more difficult for employers to exploit the system.
This has dampened the hopes of many bright-eyed young Italians who have been attracted to the stable economy and job opportunities here.
The Italian media, according to Dr Ricatti, has a tendency to “overestimate the wealth of the Australian economy and the quantity and quality of opportunities”. This has led to unrealistic expectations and a superficial understanding of Australia.
