«In general, regarding the gaps in the labor market, I would also be cautiously optimistic. If it were not for the birthrate crisis, which risks nullifying every other virtuous response and therefore must become the first item on the political agenda.» For Riccardo Di Stefano, Vice President of Confindustria for Education and Open Innovation, bridging the gap between demand and supply is possible by working on improving attractiveness towards foreign students and trying to relaunch the image of manufacturing, even though demographics present an increasingly heavy “bill” year after year.
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«The system as a whole is trying to react – he explains – but it is clear that in the long term a change of course is needed. Meanwhile, it is important to see how, for example, companies have equipped themselves with hundreds of internal Academies: faced with such rapid transformations, it is clear that schools and universities are not enough, the fact that the last mile of training belongs to the company is now an established fact».
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Manufacturing companies that, according to Di Stefano, can offer young people interesting career paths, despite negative stereotypes. «Industry must be told in its changes – he explains – and it is very different from what is perceived in the collective imagination: it is a world where cutting-edge technologies are developed, fully integrated into the dual digital and green transition. And this is why the “hunger” for STEM profiles is growing: the demand for these degrees approaches 700,000 units and in 50% of cases these are positions that are difficult to fill.» Another issue concerns the expatriation of young people, which progressively drains the internal pool to draw from. «It must be said first of all that in a phase like the current one of low productivity and income growth, industry undoubtedly guarantees higher pay compared to other sectors. Compensation which, in my opinion, for young people at their first job is only one of the components, not the only one. Young people primarily seek growth prospects, a path that can stimulate them. Then, certainly, the level of tax and social security pressure is very high and this should impose a profound reflection. But besides worrying about the “flight” of young people abroad, we should also question the poor ability to attract students from abroad. On this aspect, we should be able to do much better».
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