Choosing a European country: Italy
The Italians place an emphasis on quality over quantity, making living standards high.
Key facts
Population: 58,133,509 (2006 est.)
Languages: Italian, German, French, Slovene
Median graduate starting salary: €27,391
Average working hours: 40 hours a week
Days’ holiday: 25
Key industries
- ceramics
- chemicals
- clothing
- food processing
- footwear
- iron and steel
- machinery
- motor vehicles
- tourism
Labour market
Italy is the world’s seventh largest economy, and its northern regions are amongst the richest in Europe. The country’s main industries are tourism, machinery, iron and steel. The great strength of the Italian economy lies in the number of vibrant small to medium-sized enterprises – of the 35,000 joint stock companies, 13,000 have fewer than ten employees. The south of the country is less developed and more agricultural. Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75 per cent of energy requirements are imported. Over the past decade, Italy has followed a tight fiscal policy in order to meet the requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unions and has benefited from lower inflation and interest rates. The government is improving competitiveness and longterm growth, but structural reforms such as reducing the tax burden and overhauling the pension system, arebeing implemented more slowly because of the economic slowdown and opposition from labour unions.
Application methods
Networking in Italy is vital, but if you don’t have the necessary contacts, speculative applications to larger companies can also be helpful. Remember that these are likely to be more effective if CVs and covering letters are followed up by telephone calls. The ability to speak and write in Italian is a pre requisite – CVs should be typed in Italian if possible, while covering letters should be handwritten. Candidates are usually selected by interview but, as in many other European countries, the use of tests is becoming increasingly widespread. Italians in general are conscious of how they dress and work in order to present a bella figura, or good image – formal dress should therefore be worn for interviews. Non-verbal communication is also very important so remember to make eye contact and greet colleagues with a firm handshake. The Seziona Circoscrizionale par l’Impiego e il Collocamento in Agricoltura (SCICA), can help with employment, details of which can be found in the telephone directory.
Graduate employers
Large organisations include Assicurazioni Generali, Banca Commerciale Italiana, Banca Intesa, ENEL, ENI, Fiat, IRI, Montedison, San Paolo IMI, Telecom Italia and Unicredito Italiano.
Cost of living
The Italians place an emphasis on quality over quantity, making living standards high. The family, rather than work or money, dominates Italian culture and many of the laws of the country reflect this ideal. The cost of living differs considerably throughout Italy, not only between the various Italian regions, but also between the cities. Since 2003 the purchasing power of Italian families has fallen sharply with large increases in the cost of tobacco (9.6 per cent) and amenities (4.1 per cent), as well as transport (5 per cent).
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