Posted on 01/19/2011 5:42:57 AM PST by markomalley
(ANSA) - Rome, January 19 - More than one in five young Italians neither work nor study, the worst figure in the European Union, national statistic agency Istat said Wednesday.
Istat, on the basis of 2009 data, said 21.2% of Italians between the ages of 15 and 29, or some two million people, "are neither part of a school or training system or engaged in work".
Sociologists have spoken of a "lost generation" of Italian young people, for whom Italian President Giorgio Napolitano made an appeal in his end-of-year TV speech to the nation. Last year Italy was roiled by protests by young people, mostly against education cuts, and Rome saw its worst street violence in decades on a day of mayhem in mid-December.
Some saw the violence as an expression of malaise created by the scarcity of opportunities for young people.
In response to Napolitano's call, Premier Silvio Berlusconi said helping the young people of the country would be one of the top priorities for his government.
Asked if Italy could "become a country for the young again," the premier replied: "Absolutely, yes".
But analysts say the government is effectively stalled as the premier struggles to firm up a working majority and respond to the latest in a string of sex scandals, this time involving an underage Moroccan belly dancer and several young women Berlusconi allegedly housed for free and paid to attend alleged sex parties.
And in this country?
Making them among the gainfully employed, it should be said.
..isn’t Italy overrun by immigrants?
It struck me upon reading this piece, that government is obviously doing way too much for young people. They have become dependent, unable or unwilling to do what is necessary to make themselves employable or dreaming something up that will provide the necessities of life.
Sheep without a shepherd! Where oh where is mom and dad?
Do those folks fit the legal definition of "Italian"?
If one in five do not work or study what can the government do about that? One would think their family would tell them to find a job or go to school.
Many Italians ,who do work,because of high costs of being in the EU are forced to live as adults with their parents.
Last year Italy was roiled by protests by young people, mostly against education cuts, and Rome saw its worst street violence in decades on a day of mayhem in mid-December.
So....the kids are out rioting for education funds that fully 1/5 of them do not take advantage of? Sounde more like they just enjoy slacker anarchy for its own sake.
They can get out of the way, cut back on taxes, government spending, and regulation. Motivation is extremely hard to inspire, and extremely easy to destroy, and the socialists have destroyed it. On purpose. Welcome to the the bottom of human achievement, where nobody envies anybody else because everyone is a loser.
Denying them public assistance would do wonders for that “won’t work” attitude. Hunger is a wonderful motivator.
The “young people” live with mom or dad, usually. The Italian government requires parents to support their children in perpetuity ... no saying, “The day you turn 21, I’m changing the locks. Write when you find work!”
Then wouldn’t they have the same problem in Germany?
I understand you can legally slough off many of your expenses onto your parents up until around age 30 there.
I don’t know what’s going on in Germany regarding employment. However, Britain has many of the same problems as Italy with young adults who are not engaged in any productive or potentially productive activity.
Not so. But parents can get a tax break for supporting 'kids' up to 26 or 27 while the 'kids' are studying or training for a job.
Other than that parents can kick their kids to the curb anytime they like after the kids turn 18.
Sounds more like California.
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