Trimestrale di informazione dell'Osservatorio regionale del Mercato del lavoro
THE OVERVIEW
In Italy, in the second quarter of 2024, ‘labour input, as measured by hours worked, decreased by -0.2% compared to the previous quarter and increased by 1.6% compared to the second quarter of 2023. During the same period, GDP grew in both cyclical (+0.2%) and trend (+0.9%) terms’.
Insight YOUTH EMPLOYMENT IN TUSCANY OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS
By Donatella Marinari
In 2023 there will be about 505,000 young people under 30 in Tuscany, the same level as in 2008. Over the years considered, however, their composition by occupational and non-occupational status has changed. The number of students has increased, with a consequent decrease in the number of employed and inactive persons. Mainly this was due to the ‘rejuvenation’ of their age structure, younger people grew, particularly between 15 and 19 years old, while the more adult, 25-29 years old, and more employable fell, since only a small percentage were engaged in a course of study. Overall, their employment rate, calculated net of students, after the sharp decline in the crisis years 2008-2014, has seen sustained growth, equalling that of the more adult age group in 2022 and 2023. It should be noted, however, that this result is largely due to the decrease in non-student youths; if their number had remained constant at the 2008 level, the rate would have been 10 points lower. The increase in the younger age group, combined with the increased propensity to undertake/continue a course of study, has led the share of so-called NEETs to contract, reaching the average level of European Union countries for the first time in 2023. Difficulties in entering the labour market remain, with the unemployment rate which, although steadily decreasing since 2015, remains, almost constantly, above three times higher than that of adults aged 30 or over. Other peculiarities of the employment of younger people are the high proportion of fixed-term, part-time and largely involuntary contracts, as well as the high concentration in a few sectors, particularly catering and accommodation, with low wages, all of which have increased over the period. Young people remain a low labour-intensity category, working few days per year and short hours, with incomes lower than those of adults, even in the case of permanent and full-time contracts due to their high presence in sectors where wages are lower.
