Tthree and a half million new jobs in four years, of which around half have a degree, it is the figure that will mark the fate of the Italian labor market by 2029. Destiny behind which lies a paradox: the country risks not being able to cover the demand because it doesn’t have enough graduates. We will talk about this and how to find a solution at the YIF, lo Young International Forumthe Italian fair dedicated to university and work orientation, which begins today in Rome.
Young International Forum, the future of work speaks clearly: it wants graduates
Organized by the Italia Education Foundation and Corriere Università e Lavoro, the Forum will bring together teachers, experts, career counselors and managers until 23 October to guide and motivate young people in building their educational and professional path and help them consciously build their future.
An appointment that arrives at a decisive moment for Italy, grappling with a silent but profound crisis, which is precisely that of the lack of graduates. In 2024, only 28% of the newly employed had a university degree. Definitely too few, if you consider that almost 40% of future job demand will be aimed at those with tertiary educationi.e. a degree, an Its Academy diploma, the Higher Technological Institutes, or a qualification from Higher Artistic, Musical and Dance Education.
STEM degrees: most in demand
The widest gap concerns STEM degreesScience, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, where every year they could missing between 9 and 18 thousand young people, in particular engineers and graduates in scientific and IT disciplines.
Subsequently, the economic-statistical profiles are also insufficientwith an expected deficit of between 12,000 and 17,000 young people per year, as well as medical onesabout 7-8 thousand. On the contrary, in sectors such as law, political and social sciences, psychology, humanities and linguistics, an oversupply is expected. A clear photograph of a country which trains many young people in fields that offer few employment prospectswhile leaving the areas that drive innovation and development uncovered.
The Young International Forum brings together students, teachers and companies to take stock of the future of work (Getty Images)
The future is “green” and digital
After all, it is precisely the ecological and technological transition that is redesigning the very concept of work. Again according to Unioncamere and the Ministry of Labour, 2.5 million workers will have to acquire green skillsi.e. skills linked to energy saving and environmental sustainability. For 1.5 million people, these skills will need to be at an advanced level.
Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum predicts that by 2030, artificial intelligence will create 170 million new jobs worldwide, but it will make 92 million disappear. The balance remains positive, but the challenge will be entirely in skills: critical thinking, creativity, ability to use technologies. The sectors destined to grow will be those of healthcare, education, ecological transition and cybersecurity.
At the Young International Forum the focus is on degrees and professions
The Young International Forum fits into this complex scenario, of which, this year, one of the main innovations will be the “focus on professions linked to the different degree courses“, to help kids really understand where the path they choose after high school diploma can take them.
«The low number of graduates in Italy is one of the main obstacles to growth and innovation – explains Mariano Berriola, president of the Italia Education Foundation and director of the YIF – Companies can’t find the resources they need to compete and to this are added demographic decline and brain drain. A serious project is needed, involving schools, universities and active labor policies.”
Italy at a crossroads
Italy finds itself faced with a choice that does not allow for postponement: decide whether to make skills the true lever of growth or continue to chase a future that others are already building. The issue, in fact, is not only quantitative, degrees or diplomas are no longer enough, but qualitative: we need paths that train people capable of reading the changes, to move between technology and sustainability, to make culture dialogue with innovation.
Work today is no longer a destination but a continuously adapting process. Companies are looking for flexible, prepared profiles, able to connect different knowledge and constantly update themselves. Because of this a system is needed that accompanies young people in this directionfrom school to university, up to entry into the productive world. The risk is to remain stagnant in a fast-moving market.