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Italy needs almost 400.000 workers to save summer tourism; of them, at least 40% there is no way to find them. The situation is so delicate that the Minister of Tourism, Massimo Garavaglia, a prominent member of the League, has made a significant statement: “To save the summer of tourism, we must increase the flows of foreign workers”.
Italy proposes that the ambitious object to recover this year is the same levels of visitors that it will register in 2019, before the pandemic. But in recent weeks there are tourist structures that have difficulty opening, because there are no cooks, waiters, receptionists...
and with less harsh or better paid hours. The reality is that something is not working in the job market, according to Tourism Minister Garavaglia, because there are many unemployed, but offers from the tourism industry are not responded to. According to the official Statistics Institute (Istat), the unemployment rate in Italy is 8,3%, reaching 24,5% for young people.
The subsidy disincentive
The Italian Union of Chambers of Commerce and ANPAL (organization of the Ministry of Labor) states that between May and July it is necessary to find 387.720 workers in the tourism sector, especially for hotel and restaurant services. The Minister of Tourism has explained that there is a surprising paradox, because the demand for work is growing, but it is difficult to find seasonal staff: “If there are 300.000 – 350.000 workers missing, and you have many unemployed, something is wrong. There is a set of rules that must be reviewed,” Massimo Garavaglia told La Repubblica. Among these regulations, the Minister of Tourism cited the "citizenship income", that is, the income received by unemployed workers or people with economic difficulties. The amount of this income, which constitutes the main electoral band of the 5 Star Movement, varies according to many parameters: for example, a person who lives alone usually has 780 euros per month of citizenship income; and reaches up to 1.330 euros per month for a family of two adults and one adult child or two minors.
Several parties consider that the "citizenship income", whose state coverage is greater than 5.000 million euros per year and is granted for a renewable duration of 18 months, should be eliminated or reformed, because it currently discourages the search for work and does not It fulfills a fundamental objective for which it was established: to help insert people who received citizenship income into the world of work. According to Italia Viva, a party led by ex-minister Matteo Renzi, only 3.8% of the almost three million people who receive that citizenship income have found work. Many who receive this subsidy reject uncomfortable jobs or choose to do a job in the black. Hence the need for a profound reform of its regulations.
The Minister of Tourism Garavaglia, whose La Liga party voted in favor of citizenship income, has announced that he will hold a meeting this week with the Minister of Labor, Andrea Orlando, to respond to the voice of alarm from the tourism sector: "Is there something that does not work. The idea is to meet with the Orlando minister and tour operators to see what happens immediately. Among the assistance measures, the income of citizens and the Naspi (monthly subsidy for the unemployed) must be reviewed, because they are an obstacle to balancing the labor supply with the demand for employment.
The Mario Draghi government approved a decree in December 2018 to allow 70.000 non-EU immigrants to enter the labor market, especially in the construction, agriculture, automotive and tourism sectors. Now, Minister Garavaglia has promised the tourism industry to resort to a new decree to approve the entry of more immigrants, especially with temporary contracts: "We will have to hire foreigners, otherwise we will have personal problems for the summer season," he says. the Minister of Tourism.
Massive return of tourism
Once the coronavirus emergency has been overcome, tourists are returning en masse to Italy. The capitals of art, everything sober, record tourist records. For example, Venice, with some 50.000 inhabitants, was invaded on Saturday and Sunday of Holy Week by more than 150.000 visitors.
Minister Caravaglia is optimistic about the possibilities that are presented to the tourism industry after the Covid pandemic: it is becoming increasingly popular, an important opportunity to seize.
Minister Garavaglia was planted including a tourist collaboration with Spain: “There are markets with which you can collaborate: recently with the Spanish Minister of Tourism (Reyes Maroto). There are many Italians who go to Spain, and vice versa: It is an expanding market -adds the minister- and it can represent an excellent opportunity in mid-season (just before and after the high season), convenient for both countries”.
