You may already have visited Rome, Florence or the Northern Lakes in a tourist capacity, where you will undoubtedly have enjoyed the glorious food, culture, weather, music and even football. But as well as being an attractive holiday destination, Italy also offers significant work opportunities.
Firstly, it should be pointed out though that the year so far has not been a particularly positive one for the Italian economy. Like almost every major European country, it has suffered from the combined effect of Brexit and its impact on the European Union, geopolitical turmoil and a struggling financial system.
Indeed, times have got so tough that earlier this year, the state-funded Rome Opera House sacked its entire orchestra and chorus. But all is not as it seems. The musicians enjoyed a 28-hour working week and were paid 16 months’ worth of salary for the privilege.
They also received perks that included double pay for performing outside - apparently to do so is perceived as an increased health hazard - but regularly went out on strike anyway. As a result, one performance of La Boheme went ahead with just a single pianist.
Following the almost inevitable resignation of the Opera House’s honorary director Ricardo Muti as a result of all this turmoil, the state took the unprecedented step of sacking all 200 orchestra members- a major step in a country where anyone with a long-term contract is rarely fired.
Areas of opportunity
Technology is one field that is providing such opportunities. Last year, network hardware provider Cisco Systems announced that it planned to invest about $100 million in the country. Apple also opened its first European iOS app development hub in Naples, an area that was historically based around agriculture. This scenario suggests times may be changing.
But it is also worth noting that the industry's continued growth will rely heavily on firms being able to attract overseas talent due to local skills shortages. As the Italian Prime Minister’s innovation advisor, Paulo Barberis explained recently: "Our start-up ecosystem is very healthy, but we need new fuel, new investments. Some of the brightest minds are working abroad...we need to offer new opportunities to participate in the growth of the country."
In addition to a burgeoning technology sector, the retail market is also lively. While there may be fewer multinationals with a major presence here than in the likes of France and Germany, Italy makes up for this shortfall by having some truly global, home-grown brands of its own. Gucci, Prada, Versace, Armani and Benetton are all regularly seeking data analytics experts in a bid to maintain competitive advantage, salaries for personnel here market rate.
Demand for staff in the automotive industry is also considerable. Italy is home to world famous luxury brands such as Ferrari and Lamborghini as well as the less high-end Fiat and Pirelli.
Indeed 'supercars' are experiencing significant demand in China, and the market is only expected to continue growing as the number of high nets worth individuals being created in East Asian economies continues to increase.
Skills crisis
Meanwhile, a major reason why Italian firms are facing a skills crisis - which was a major factor behind the country’s recent financial turmoil - is its rapidly ageing population. 'Replacement demand' is expected to create six times as many job opportunities as 'expansion demand' over the coming years.
This means that although the economy may still be patchy, employment levels have remained buoyant and are on track to reach pre-2008 levels by 2020. T he economy is also balancing itself out and is slowly diversifying away from the traditional north/ south, industry/ agriculture split that has blighted it in the past.
At a cultural level though, one thing that should be borne in mind is that the working day at organisations across both the public and private sector generally starts at 8am. But while public sector workers tend to clock off at around 2pm, private sector employees enjoy a long lunch break before returning to work for another couple of hours
Other points worth noting are that individuals are subject to social security tax. Italy has also signed up to the Common Reporting Standard , which means that the government automatically trades tax information with dozens of other Nations. So any transgression committed there can come back and bite you at home - something that it would definitely be sensible to bear in mind.
Michelle Reilly has almost 20 years of experience in contractor management and is acknowledged as a leading global expert in the field. In 2009, she joined CXC to set-up its global Europe, Middle East and Africa business, and last year led a management buyout of the recruitment agency side of the organisation. Michelle is now chief executive of 6CATS International, which provides compliant contractor management solutions.
You may already have visited Rome, Florence or the Northern Lakes in a tourist capacity, where you will undoubtedly have enjoyed the glorious food, culture, weather, music and even football. But as well as being an attractive holiday destination, Italy also offers significant work opportunities.
Firstly, it should be pointed out though that the year so far has not been a particularly positive one for the Italian economy. Like almost every major European country, it has suffered from the combined effect of Brexit and its impact on the European Union, geopolitical turmoil and a struggling financial system.
Indeed, times have got so tough that earlier this year, the state-funded Rome Opera House sacked its entire orchestra and chorus. But all is not as it seems. The musicians enjoyed a 28-hour working week and were paid 16 months’ worth of salary for the privilege.
They also received perks that included double pay for performing outside - apparently to do so is perceived as an increased health hazard - but regularly went out on strike anyway. As a result, one performance of La Boheme went ahead with just a single pianist.
Following the almost inevitable resignation of the Opera House’s honorary director Ricardo Muti as a result of all this turmoil, the state took the unprecedented step of sacking all 200 orchestra members- a major step in a country where anyone with a long-term contract is rarely fired.
Areas of opportunity
Technology is one field that is providing such opportunities. Last year, network hardware provider Cisco Systems announced that it planned to invest about $100 million in the country. Apple also opened its first European iOS app development hub in Naples, an area that was historically based around agriculture. This scenario suggests times may be changing.
But it is also worth noting that the industry's continued growth will rely heavily on firms being able to attract overseas talent due to local skills shortages. As the Italian Prime Minister’s innovation advisor, Paulo Barberis explained recently: "Our start-up ecosystem is very healthy, but we need new fuel, new investments. Some of the brightest minds are working abroad...we need to offer new opportunities to participate in the growth of the country."
In addition to a burgeoning technology sector, the retail market is also lively. While there may be fewer multinationals with a major presence here than in the likes of France and Germany, Italy makes up for this shortfall by having some truly global, home-grown brands of its own. Gucci, Prada, Versace, Armani and Benetton are all regularly seeking data analytics experts in a bid to maintain competitive advantage, salaries for personnel here market rate.
Demand for staff in the automotive industry is also considerable. Italy is home to world famous luxury brands such as Ferrari and Lamborghini as well as the less high-end Fiat and Pirelli.
Indeed 'supercars' are experiencing significant demand in China, and the market is only expected to continue growing as the number of high nets worth individuals being created in East Asian economies continues to increase.
Skills crisis
Meanwhile, a major reason why Italian firms are facing a skills crisis - which was a major factor behind the country’s recent financial turmoil - is its rapidly ageing population. 'Replacement demand' is expected to create six times as many job opportunities as 'expansion demand' over the coming years.
This means that although the economy may still be patchy, employment levels have remained buoyant and are on track to reach pre-2008 levels by 2020. T he economy is also balancing itself out and is slowly diversifying away from the traditional north/ south, industry/ agriculture split that has blighted it in the past.
At a cultural level though, one thing that should be borne in mind is that the working day at organisations across both the public and private sector generally starts at 8am. But while public sector workers tend to clock off at around 2pm, private sector employees enjoy a long lunch break before returning to work for another couple of hours
Other points worth noting are that individuals are subject to social security tax. Italy has also signed up to the Common Reporting Standard , which means that the government automatically trades tax information with dozens of other Nations. So any transgression committed there can come back and bite you at home - something that it would definitely be sensible to bear in mind.
Michelle Reilly has almost 20 years of experience in contractor management and is acknowledged as a leading global expert in the field. In 2009, she joined CXC to set-up its global Europe, Middle East and Africa business, and last year led a management buyout of the recruitment agency side of the organisation. Michelle is now chief executive of 6CATS International, which provides compliant contractor management solutions.
