© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks throughout a press convention in Belgrade, Serbia, December 3, 2023. REUTERS/Zorana Jevtic/File Picture
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By Alvise Armellini and Elvira Pollina
ROME (Reuters) – Madou Koulibaly is the brand new face of an outdated Italy.
The 24-year-old, who arrived within the nation from Guinea in 2018, is blazing a path as Tuscany’s first migrant bus driver recruited as a part of a drive to fill labour gaps with international staff. He was extra shocked than anybody.
“I said, a bus? No, I cannot drive a bus,” he recalled. “I have never seen an African drive a bus in Italy, especially an African who’s arrived on a boat!”
Koulibaly is feeling the extra welcoming entrance of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s contrasting immigration plans.
Meloni, who rose to energy in October final yr on a staunchly nationalist agenda, has captured international headlines together with her vows to clamp down on unauthorised arrivals from North Africa with harsher immigration legal guidelines, restrictions on sea rescue charities and plans to construct migrant reception camps in Albania.
On the identical time, although, she’s throwing open the door to tons of of hundreds of migrants to work in Italy legally in an effort to plug yawning labour gaps within the nation, which has one of many world’s oldest and most quickly shrinking populations.
By 2050, Italy could have virtually 5 million fewer individuals, and greater than a 3rd of them will likely be over 65, nationwide statistics workplace Istat predicts. Youthful blood is badly wanted in a number of industries, from development and tourism to agriculture.
Overseas Minister Antonio Tajani, who signed a three-year take care of Tunisia in October that simplified visa and residence allow procedures for as much as 4,000 Tunisians per yr, says the federal government just isn’t against immigration per se.
“We want to choose who enters Italy and Europe, and not leave the choice to traffickers,” he advised parliament on Nov. 21.
Giuliano Cazzola, a labour market professional and former conservative lawmaker, stated financial and demographic realities have been tempering the federal government’s anti-immigration stance.
“I am absolutely convinced that immigration is the easiest tool to repopulate Italy,” he added. “A baby who is born today will enter the labour market in 20 years’ time, whereas someone who arrives here is 20 and can be put to work immediately.”
Italy just isn’t alone in wrestling with unfolding demographic and labour crises, with nations from Britain and Canada to Japan contending with comparable issues, although its scenario is among the many most acute.
Meloni’s balancing act echoes that of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has launched drives to “Stop the Boats” bringing undocumented migrants to UK shores whereas presiding over report annual internet numbers of arrivals.
RECRUITING FROM MIGRANT CENTRES
Regardless of its pledges to stem rising flows of unauthorised migrants, Meloni’s authorities has had little success.
Sea arrivals from North Africa have jumped to just about 153,000 thus far this yr from virtually 96,000 in the identical interval of 2022 and 63,000 in the identical interval of 2021, and near a historic all-year peak of round 181,400 in 2016, in accordance with authorities information.
In the meantime, Italy has raised quotas for work visas for non-EU residents to 452,000 for the interval 2023-2025, a rise of almost 150% from the earlier three years. This yr’s quota – 136,000 – is the best since 2008.
The visas are reserved for individuals who have already got job provides and usually profit undocumented migrants already in Italy who use the quotas to legalise their scenario.
There aren’t sufficient to fulfill requests.
The federal government has estimated a requirement from companies and unions for 833,000 permits over the 2023-2025 interval. This yr’s quota was massively oversubscribed, with greater than 600,000 pre-applications.
Italy’s labour disaster is especially extreme in locations like Brescia, a rich northern province the place unemployment is about 4%, round half the nationwide common.
Enterprise affiliation Confindustria has joined forces with native authorities to launch a scheme that enables employers to display screen and recruit staff immediately from reception centres for asylum-seekers.
“We are desperately looking for workers, we have no appeal among young Italians, who no longer have any interest in doing manual labour, which is seen as second-class work,” stated Paolo Bettoni, head of a Brescia coaching centre run by a development commerce group affiliated to Confindustria.
Thus far, about 200 asylum-seekers have been chosen from a pool of greater than 800 candidates, native officers stated. The plan is to debate coaching alternatives with them, with a view to begin programs in January, hopefully resulting in jobs later.
Employees shortages are extra obvious in low-skill sectors. Some employers say that is at the very least partly as a consequence of unattractive working circumstances, together with low pay.
Italy, which has sluggish financial development, is the one nation within the 38-nation Organisation of Financial Cooperation and Improvement (OECD) the place inflation-adjusted wages have declined within the final 30 years.
Carlo Massoletti, head of the Brescia chapter of retail foyer Confcommercio, stated firms there have been dropping about 20% of potential turnover for lack of personnel, including that kitchen employees, waiters and resort maids have been among the many harder roles to fill.
‘I’M SHOCKED, WHAT ABOUT YOU?’
Meloni affirmed her right-wing credentials in September when she attended a summit in Budapest hosted by the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a longtime political ally, and declared: “We live in an era where everything that defines us is under attack.”
She stated Italy and Europe’s demographic issues can be greatest addressed by lifting nationwide start charges, however acknowledged {that a} quota of authorized migration might make a “positive contribution” to economies.
Her twin monitor on immigration is not laborious sufficient for a few of her authorities allies.
“The priority is closing the inflow,” Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, chief of the co-ruling League social gathering and a longstanding hawk on immigration, stated on Nov. 28.
“I am happy to choose from countries of origin some categories of workers,” he added. “But before any further opening, it is necessary to control arrivals.”
Francesco Torselli, head of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy social gathering within the Tuscan regional meeting, had decried the recruitment of migrants like Koulibaly in Florence by regional transport firm Autolinee Toscane as “nothing short of scandalous”.
“Why raise drivers’ salaries when you can hire immigrants and – perhaps – pay them even less???” he posted on Instagram when the scheme was launched in October final yr. “Here is Autolinee Toscane’s ‘solution’ to the problem of the lack of bus drivers in Tuscany… I’m shocked, what about you?”
Autolinee Toscane denies discriminating between Italian and international staff and providing decrease wages to migrants.
Koulibaly himself is not fazed.
Till just lately, he had lived in a migrant reception centre, regardless of having been granted a residence allow, as a result of he struggled to seek out reasonably priced housing in Florence.
He sees the job as an opportunity to pursue his personal Italian dream, and hopes different newcomers will comply with his lead.
“I am doing this job for myself, for my family and also for all the migrants that are in Italy, because a lot of people think that we are all bad and that there are some jobs we cannot do, and that’s not true,” he stated.
