The land of renaissance in Europe is in a great crisis as talented youths have started fleeing the country of Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci! With the passage of time, the once great empire in the lap of the Mediterranean Sea is becoming depopulated. Political analysts have expressed serious concern over the scenario.

Italy has been facing a problem related to brain drain for the last couple of years. Talented youths are leaving Rome, Venice, Milan and other major cities for foreign countries mainly because of low pay and lack of recognition (of their talent). A section of analysts is of the opinion that Italy is going through an economic crisis, prompting youths to leave the country. According to figures provided by the Giorgia Meloni Government, nearly one million Italians have left the country in the past 10 years. Interestingly, one-third of these people are between 25 and 35 years of age. Young Italians, aged 27-28, feel that there is no other option for them, but to emigrate!

Billie Fusto, a 24-year-old man who arrived in Rome from Calabria in southern Italy for higher education, told AFP: “I am not looking for wealth… or big responsibilities. I want a quiet life, in which I do not have to worry about whether I have EUR 15 to go shopping. And currently, in Italy that is not guaranteed.“

The National Council for Economics and Labour (CNEL) of Italy published a study report on brain drain in October 2024, revealing some sensational facts. CNEL President Renato Brunetta stressed: “It is not normal that our country does not ask itself why, and does not remedy this haemorrhage.” As southern Italy is facing acute poverty, people emigrate to the northern part of the country in search of fortune. The share of graduates among them has increased from 18% to 58% in the last two decades. However, working conditions even in the industrialised north are less attractive than elsewhere in Europe. Hence, youths have started leaving the country.

Italy is one of the few member-countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) where real wages have decreased since 2019. This trend has not been seen in other OECD countries. Italy had the highest rate of unemployment in Europe at 17.7% in October 2024, compared to 15.2% across the European Union (EU). According to experts, workplaces have become unmeritocratic in Italy as the Meloni Administration did not set a minimum national wage. Also, there is no rise in salaries on the basis of educational qualification and work experience.

Elena Picardi, who recently returned to Rome after studying Political Science in France, claimed that her hopes of finding a job in Italy were fading fast. The 24-year-old told AFP: “More often than not, when it comes to Italian offers, either the salary is not specified or it is generally lower. I would like to contribute to the future of my country, and stay close to my family. But why should I sacrifice my prospects when… my profile is more valued (abroad)?“

According to the North East Foundation, Italy has lost a huge amount of money over the past 12 years due to brain drain. In its report, the Foundation has mentioned that the Italian brain drain cost the country an estimated EUR 134 billion between 2011 and 2023! Those who have returned to Italy informed the Foundation that they came back because they wanted to be closer to their families.

Meanwhile, Eurostat has mentioned in its latest report that the average age of people leaving their ancestral homes in Italy was 30 in 2022 (among the oldest in the EU only after Spain and Greece). The AFP reported that “the exodus of youngsters is all the more worrying in view of the ageing Italian population“. The current ratio of employed and unemployed citizens in Italy is 3:2. However, this ratio would stand at 1:1 by the end of 2050. In other words, 50% of the country’s population shall remain jobless in 2050.

Prime Minister Meloni is desperately trying to bring her countrymen back home from foreign countries in order to get rid of this situation. She has announced a huge income tax exemption for them, stating that her government would offer more financial benefits to expatriates who would return to Italy with their children. Italy has also been experiencing an abnormally low birth rate for the last few years. Hence, it is gradually becoming a country of elderly citizens. The scenario has prompted Prime Minister Meloni to encourage the Italian girls to produce more babies by announcing financial benefits!

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das