Young people have no knowledge of the industry sector – a new entrepreneurial narrative is needed
Young Italian people are not familiar with the industry sector and, in any case, don’t see it as a likeable workplace. This fact – a rather unsettling one, considering that Italy is the second manufacturing country in Europe, following Germany – came to light through a survey promoted by Federmeccanica (the Italian Federation of Metalworking Industries) via the project “Monitor sul lavoro” (“Focus on work”) led by Daniele Marini, distinguished occupational sociologist, in collaboration with Community Media Research & Analysis. Out of the 1,200 respondents (a representative sample of the over-18 Italian population), when asked to choose a term to describe “industry” the majority replied “I don’t know” (218 answers, 18.2%) – no opinion whatsoever. In second place came “obsolete” (61 answers) and in third “productive” (56 answers), followed by “exploitation” (38 answers). According to Marini: “The narrative embodying what manufacturing is in today’s Italy is no longer part of how young people see the world”. “Industry? No idea”, summarises Dario Di Vico, who analysed the data in the Corriere della Sera (20 February).
Where did those other findings come from then? A great number of respondents (45.4%) said they had reached a conclusion through their own direct working experience or through conversations with colleagues, though 54% simply relied on information acquired, firstly, from traditional media (TV, newspapers and radio for 20%), and secondly from social media and the internet (especially the younger generations) as well as “talking with family and friends”.
However, even in such a landscape clouded by little knowledge about the real importance of finance and business, a more reassuring attitude can be glimpsed, as a majority of the respondents (55.2%) would like to see greater support for enterprises, “as they contribute to the development of the country and of people”. A rather striking view that seems to contrast with the several “I don’t know” mentioned above, and that’s even more widespread amongst graduates (63.8%), students (67.8%) and those who have a manual job (56.4%) – a segment of the population that needs nurturing and whose ideas must be fostered.
The survey further includes interesting notions about the value of quality work, the importance of establishing a work-life balance and a “good corporate reputation”, an inclination to change job depending on salary and professional satisfaction, and the notion that “influencers and bloggers are more important than artisans, traders and teachers”.
A world in evolution, then, especially after the social rifts and individual fragilities exposed by the Covid pandemic; a world that nonetheless continues to deserve our greatest attention, taking especially more into consideration the younger generations’ inclinations.
Then again, learning that the industry is not too popular in the eyes of society doesn’t really come as a surprise: a 2009 survey by Ipsos on the new generations and manufacturing – launched in occasion of the publication of the book Orgoglio industriale (Industrial pride), published by Mondadori – showed the same results, and indeed one answer summarised the overall results, “I’d rather say that I work in a call centre or a trendy boutique rather than in a factory”. The following year, another and rather similar survey by Ipsos for entrepreneurial institution Assolombarda, confirmed that same negative outlook, later overturned by the effects that followed the 2009-2011 Great Financial Crisis, which led to a reassessment of the real economy.
The survey by Federmeccanica, launched just at a time when we can appreciate how much the manufacturing industry has been driving Italy’s astonishing economic growth in 2021-2022, is forcing not only the corporate world but also political and social actors to take a good look at what workers think and young people expect, in order to secure the fundamental assets of sustainable development.
Essentially, we need to persevere towards a new entrepreneurial narrative consolidating corporate culture and industrial representation. And we could begin by building a closer relationship between industry and education, just as the Aspen Institute Italia has been doing for years, for instance, through the initiative “Una bella impresa” (“A great undertaking”), which is founded on meetings between entrepreneurs and high school students throughout Italy. But we also need to reassess salaries, wages and professional conditions, and more strongly emphasise initiative, innovation, scientific research, the environmental and digital twin transition as an opportunity to better work and life conditions, as positive values while also focusing on the concept of productive and sustainable “beautiful factories” as possible future sites for individual, social and cultural growth – a challenge that high-quality Italian industry is actually very well equipped to take on.
(photo Getty Images)
Young Italian people are not familiar with the industry sector and, in any case, don’t see it as a likeable workplace. This fact – a rather unsettling one, considering that Italy is the second manufacturing country in Europe, following Germany – came to light through a survey promoted by Federmeccanica (the Italian Federation of Metalworking Industries) via the project “Monitor sul lavoro” (“Focus on work”) led by Daniele Marini, distinguished occupational sociologist, in collaboration with Community Media Research & Analysis. Out of the 1,200 respondents (a representative sample of the over-18 Italian population), when asked to choose a term to describe “industry” the majority replied “I don’t know” (218 answers, 18.2%) – no opinion whatsoever. In second place came “obsolete” (61 answers) and in third “productive” (56 answers), followed by “exploitation” (38 answers). According to Marini: “The narrative embodying what manufacturing is in today’s Italy is no longer part of how young people see the world”. “Industry? No idea”, summarises Dario Di Vico, who analysed the data in the Corriere della Sera (20 February).
Where did those other findings come from then? A great number of respondents (45.4%) said they had reached a conclusion through their own direct working experience or through conversations with colleagues, though 54% simply relied on information acquired, firstly, from traditional media (TV, newspapers and radio for 20%), and secondly from social media and the internet (especially the younger generations) as well as “talking with family and friends”.
However, even in such a landscape clouded by little knowledge about the real importance of finance and business, a more reassuring attitude can be glimpsed, as a majority of the respondents (55.2%) would like to see greater support for enterprises, “as they contribute to the development of the country and of people”. A rather striking view that seems to contrast with the several “I don’t know” mentioned above, and that’s even more widespread amongst graduates (63.8%), students (67.8%) and those who have a manual job (56.4%) – a segment of the population that needs nurturing and whose ideas must be fostered.
The survey further includes interesting notions about the value of quality work, the importance of establishing a work-life balance and a “good corporate reputation”, an inclination to change job depending on salary and professional satisfaction, and the notion that “influencers and bloggers are more important than artisans, traders and teachers”.
A world in evolution, then, especially after the social rifts and individual fragilities exposed by the Covid pandemic; a world that nonetheless continues to deserve our greatest attention, taking especially more into consideration the younger generations’ inclinations.
Then again, learning that the industry is not too popular in the eyes of society doesn’t really come as a surprise: a 2009 survey by Ipsos on the new generations and manufacturing – launched in occasion of the publication of the book Orgoglio industriale (Industrial pride), published by Mondadori – showed the same results, and indeed one answer summarised the overall results, “I’d rather say that I work in a call centre or a trendy boutique rather than in a factory”. The following year, another and rather similar survey by Ipsos for entrepreneurial institution Assolombarda, confirmed that same negative outlook, later overturned by the effects that followed the 2009-2011 Great Financial Crisis, which led to a reassessment of the real economy.
The survey by Federmeccanica, launched just at a time when we can appreciate how much the manufacturing industry has been driving Italy’s astonishing economic growth in 2021-2022, is forcing not only the corporate world but also political and social actors to take a good look at what workers think and young people expect, in order to secure the fundamental assets of sustainable development.
Essentially, we need to persevere towards a new entrepreneurial narrative consolidating corporate culture and industrial representation. And we could begin by building a closer relationship between industry and education, just as the Aspen Institute Italia has been doing for years, for instance, through the initiative “Una bella impresa” (“A great undertaking”), which is founded on meetings between entrepreneurs and high school students throughout Italy. But we also need to reassess salaries, wages and professional conditions, and more strongly emphasise initiative, innovation, scientific research, the environmental and digital twin transition as an opportunity to better work and life conditions, as positive values while also focusing on the concept of productive and sustainable “beautiful factories” as possible future sites for individual, social and cultural growth – a challenge that high-quality Italian industry is actually very well equipped to take on.
(photo Getty Images)