It’s not a country for young men and women, even the Census Association endorses it

Many inequalities at the economic, social and regional levels have unfortunately been consolidated or exacerbated, and new forms of poverty may emerge. In presenting to Montecitorio the “Annual Report 2023. The situation in the country”, the head of Istat Francesco Maria Chelli identifies a fact that can only be defined with great optimism as better than the previous year, when, moreover, the Statistical Institute has whitewashed failures related to weakness Collectivism, social and contract insecurity, and rising income inequalities, which were additionally affected by the first signs of what would become rapid inflation.

Istat notes that as soon as it emerged from the pandemic, the Italian company found itself facing new problems during 2022. “The sharp rise in energy and raw material prices, which intensified the conflict in Ukraine, affected the development of the economy, with significant increases in production costs for companies and prices Consumer for families. Although the most important stage is underestimated, the trend of inflation will affect the development of consumption and real wages in the near future.

Even without using the term dividends, the institute points out that Italy has been one of the countries hardest hit by price hikes on the energy front. In particular ‘domestic’ electricity, with +72.4% in two years, a record in the EU. “The effect, Istat points out, was relatively heavier for families with lower spending levels.” Thus, in 2022, 17.6% of households at risk of poverty did not adequately heat their homes, and 10.1% were late paying bills.

Even if the GDP data (+3.7% in 2022 and +0.6% in the first quarter of this year) leads Istat to forecast +1.2% for this year and +1.1% for the next, the disparities are exacerbated by what penalizes above. All young men and women who are not placed in working conditions. Even if headcount increased (average to 61%), with more independent, permanent contracts and fewer fixed-term contracts—last year at a record 3.2 million—the growth was driven by older workers. Between 2004 and 2022 in Italy, the employment rate between 15 and 34 years old decreased by 8.6 points (to 43.7%). On the other hand, the employment rate for those ages 50-64 increased by 19.2 points (to 61.5%).” The direct impact of an increasingly remote retirement over time.

Another very disturbing fact is that associated with the prolonged collapse of the social elevator. Those born poor remain poor, given that nearly a third of adults ages 25 to 49 at risk of poverty come from families who were in critical condition. Furthermore, nearly one in two young people (47.7% of the 10 million 273 thousand ages 18-34) show at least one sign of deprivation in one of the key ‘domains’ of well-being: education, work and social cohesion, health, well-being Profile, Earth. While more than 1.6 million (equivalent to 15.5% of those aged 18 to 34 years) suffer from several types of deprivation. Needless to say, the most vulnerable age group is that of people between the ages of 25 and 34, who face demanding transitions – especially in Italy – such as entering the world of work, leaving a family, starting an independent life, and choosing to start a family and become parents.

Even if all goes smoothly, it won’t be roses and flowers: in Italy the average annual gross salary per employee is nearly €27,000, 12% less than the EU average. Between 2013 and 2022, the total growth in total annual wages per employee was 12%, half of the European average. Stagnation in real wages has plagued the country for decades, and therefore Italy is aging and births are still declining by 1.1%, with a population of 58.8 million residents, of which 8.6% are foreigners.

The last very negative number is that of the Nets, 1.7 million youngsters, which is a European record. In detail, one out of every five young men between the ages of 15 and 29 does not study, does not work, and is not included in training courses, more girls than boys. The most affected age group is between 25 and 29 years old, 27.9% of the population of southern Italy and 28.8% of foreigners.