Survey says Italian employers can’t find skilled workers

(ANSA) – Brussels, November 22 – Italian employers are finding it hard to fill certain technical and skilled positions despite the country’s deep recession and high rates of unemployment, according to a survey released Friday by Unioncamere, representing chambers of commerce.

There are about 47,000 unfilled specialized jobs in the country, which is fewer than the 65,000 reported in 2012 and much less than the 217,000 available posts reported in 2008, according to the survey. The number stands in contrast with Italy’s jobless rate that reached a record-high 12.5% in September, and a youth unemployment rate of over 40%.

But employers say that in certain fields, including software development and design, and business management as well as some technical fields, they cannot find enough skilled help.

They say there is also an “expectations gap” where certain graduates won’t accept jobs which they do not find interesting, the employers said in the survey. They suggested that educational institutions should do a better job of steering students into professions and trades with high levels of employment and demand for trained workers.