To overcome the crisis, young people need to look to culture

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“Young people have been the worst hit by the crisis, right from the beginning. They have been the most likely to lose jobs, but they have also had fewer opportunities to find a first job. In the last 10 years we haven’t managed to return to the previous levels of employment, not even for those between 25 and 34 years of age. It’s a serious problem because between the ages of 25 and 34 people make the big life choices. Instead, this lack of work – both in the North and the South – holds them back from being able to build a future.”

Linda Laura Sabbadini is known in Italy for her work as an social statistician. She is a pioneer in statistics and gender studies and a columnist at La Stampa. She outlines the difficulties young people have had – and continue to experience – in accessing the job market.

What general impact has the economic crisis had in Italy? When it comes to employment, how distinct is the difference between North and South? In a job market where change is accelerating all the time, what are the prospects for women?

Sabbadini highlights that, on the one hand, the recession that followed the economic crisis has had a negative impact, on the other it has further increased the divide between the North and South of Italy. But there is a solution even for younger generations to “break through” and culture is where they should begin. That is the vital ingredient for them to build solid skills that will stand the test of time. But there is also another vital ingredient, without which young people will not be able to pursue their objectives in the medium-long term: the details can be found in this video-interview.