La research "Youth and work", conducted by the Centro Studi di Assolombarda ed Eumeter, presents a picture in which entrepreneurs or freelancers put family affection and free time at the center of their lives. The study was presented in Pavia during the conference "Young people, work and corporate culture".
The survey, conducted in May 2023 on a sample of 1000 young people between the ages of 18 and 26 from the provinces of Milan, Monza and Brianza, Pavia and Lodi, reveals the expectations of young people towards the world of work, the perception of professional and personal opportunities offered by the Italian training and production system, as well as how young people interpret the values of work and social commitment. The research also highlights how the pandemic, the climate crisis, smart working, the digital and energy transitions and global conflicts have influenced and continue to influence young people's choices regarding employment, study path and lifestyle choices.
Young people work: strong desire to be protagonist
Research shows a strong desire to prominence of young people. 57% of them imagine a future like entrepreneurs or freelancers, while 28% would prefer an employee job. The sectors preferred by young people to work include consultancy (17% of the sample), followed by health/welfare (12%), finance and insurance (12%) and trade (12%), while only 5% indicate the manufacturing sector.
In addition to the desire to be active and proactive, young people attribute great importance to personal relationships. 72% of the participants believe that the contribution of family and loved ones is the most important. This perspective is also reflected in the workplace, with 60% of the interviewees deeming it a priority to establish and maintain good relationships with colleagues, followed by 42% who consider it essential to have a good relationship with superiors and 34% who recognize the importance of working as a team.
Reconciling life and work
The desire for protagonism and the importance attributed to emotional relationships are consistent with the priorities of young people to reconcile life and work. The hourly flexibility is considered the most relevant characteristic (55% of the interviewees), followed by the possibility of have free time for extra activities (49%) and the possibility of doing smart working (35%). On the contrary, carrying out little tiring or little stressful tasks is a priority for only 16% of the sample, indicating that what is sought is not so much the "ease" of the job, but the ability to manage one's time.
While on the one hand young people require flexibility, on the other they are eager to get involved. 80% of the interviewees acquired work experience during their studies, in particular as a waiter, bartender and cashier in 40% of cases, demonstrating a developed spirit of adaptation.
Young Lombards: the perception of the Italian system
The perception of external reality by the young Lombards reflects a negative picture. 62% of the interviewees, with an average level of education, believes that Italy offers limited job opportunities (43%) or even scarce (19%), while only 27% think they are sufficient. According to the participants, this is due to a "country system" which does not favor the recruitment of young people with no experience or with little experience (61% of the sample) and which does not allow to achieve job stability (47%). This vision contrasts with the perception of Milan, which attracts 41% of the young people interviewed as the ideal place to work. Milan is therefore confirmed as an attractive pole for talents.
Young Lombards have one partial view of the Italian economic structure. Although Italy is the second power manufacturing of Europe, only 15% of those interviewed consider it the leading sector of the national economy. Conversely, nearly half of the participants (49%) believed that the tourism plays a more significant role. Furthermore, over half of the sample (54%) associates manufacturing with specialization, while only 39% connects it with innovation.
Gioveni: manufacturing sector driving force of ecological transition
A positive and interesting figure also emerges among young graduates. 42% of them believe that themanufacturing industry offers good opportunities related to environmental sustainability. Young people see the manufacturing sector as an engine for green transition, where green professions can be widely applied and generate tangible impact.
“Research shows that to meet the needs and expectations of the new generations it is necessary to adopt a new approach, through which they can feel protagonists. A significant fact emerges from the study: i there are young people but they are found, today, a reckon with a great era of change. Moreover, they are living in an unprecedented socio-political context: I am referring to the war, which returned to Europe while the pandemic was still raging, but also to inflation and the difficulties associated with energy supplies. To put them in a position to lead the change underway, it is necessary to take up a new challenge: to follow up on a 'third transition', the one that has to do with the regeneration of skills through training. It is a process capable not only of aligning the demand and supply of work but also of "hook" the new inclinations of young people, expressed in the document edited by the Association, to the society in which they live. We need to open the way towards new professions, so that more and more young workers are trained to work alongside young entrepreneurs: from here we have to start again to face the times as they go" declared the president of the Young Entrepreneurs Group of Assolombarda, Frederick Chiarini.
