Italian emigration: brain drain at all ages

Opportunity or escape? The new Italian emigration

The media continue to show us how much Italy is a country of immigration. But is this really the case? Starting from 2008/2009, a period coinciding with the economic crisis, we have witnessed what is called "brain drain". Young people eager to have access to brilliant careers have decided to seek better opportunities in other countries, primarily Europe.

Why do many young people decide to leave Italy? An opportunity for challenge and personal growth or a lack of job opportunities? If compared with the European or American offer, the Italian offer is defeated. The endless series of internships have made this state a real Republic of interns. Germany, Great Britain, France: these are just some of the European countries where the young Italian migration is aimed.

The current situation of the brain drain

And if one in four recent graduates does not work (Almalaurea sources), it is evident that there is the drive to change perspective. The new Italian emigration concerns the under 30s. Faced with the large cultural investment, they are unable to have adequate career development.

How did we get to this point? If before the "trip abroad" was seen as a chance to increase language skills and return enriched by this experience, today due to the delicate economic conditions it is above all the work motivation to make young people buy a one-way ticket.

There are many stories of Italians who went abroad and stayed to build a career and family. The research of Il Fatto Quotidiano is interesting. In fact, it appears that 54,9% of the people interviewed reported the lack of meritocracy in our country.

The economic component, but also the merit-based one are among the factors that are attributed to the Italian administration. For this reason, it is not unusual to choose to pack your bags so as not to return home. It is not only the objective need to make Italians decide to work abroad, it is the lack of gratification and the lack of receptivity on the part of the institutions to this problem.

Over 50 ready to go abroad

We are not just talking about “highly specialized brains”, but about a whole wave of emigration that sees the over 40s and over 50s as protagonists. Since retirement in Italy proves meager, many Italians have chosen to live in dignity on a basic income in territories such as Morocco or the Philippines. 2011 saw a high rate of over 65s who went to other shores: 3219 Italians chose to invest in small properties to spend their retirement.

Emigration, therefore, is a transversal phenomenon that has affected various age groups under the lowest common denominator of the search for economic stability.

In this excursus we are not just talking about academics, but also about fleeing arms, that is, people who make their work operations available to the host country. In this case, the economic component seems to be more marked compared to university students: a job in a foreign country is objectively paid better, for this reason labor migration becomes a need for many families.

What awaits us in the future? Fluidity, emigration and globetrotters who make the world their home.