Lorenzo Macchi
Research expert covering society, economy, and politics for Italy
Youth unemployment in Italy - Statistics & Facts
The unemployment rate in Italy is around 7.8 percent as of April 2023, one of the highest in the European Union. After the financial crises of 2008, the unemployment in Italy started rising significantly. Nevertheless, 2022 represented a positive year for Italian employment figures: the unemployment rates decreased, also positively impacting the youngest workers. On the other hand, numbers for the youth unemployment rate in Italy are still very high compared to other EU countries. In addition, the outbreak of COVID-19 hit an already weak job market. The impact of the pandemic could be visible mostly until 2024 with slow recoveries.
Education and youth unemployment
Youth unemployment in Italy is particularly high among the population with a low education. Among people aged between 25 and 34 years, about half of the unemployed individuals did not finish high school. However, a higher education does not guarantee a job: roughly 7.8 percent of Italy's university graduates could not find a job in 2022. It does not come as a surprise that one out of three Italians who emigrate holds a university degree. Large percentages of Italian emigrants with a tertiary education can be found among doctoral graduates. Recent data reveal that about 13 percent of all Italian doctoral graduates moved abroad. This share is particularly high among doctorates in natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering.Informal employment and migration
Other factors to take into account are regional disparities. In three South Italian regions - Sicily, Campania, and Calabria - the youth unemployment rate is between 43 and 35 percent. In contrast, the regions in which the rates are the lowest are located in the North of the country. The actual percentages might be a bit different nationwide. An aspect which influences the unemployment figures is the penetration of the informal economy, including untaxed workers, which is not reflected in the official data. Additionally, the data depict the share of individuals who were actively seeking work. Young people in Italy are discouraged and stop searching for a job. Thus, the share of the economically inactive population is very high, much higher among women than among men. A recent survey shows that the amount of people who think that going abroad represents the only hope for the youth has been rising.
