In recent days, there has been a lot of talk about “protectionist” initiatives aimed at protecting agricultural products, culture and even the Italian language from foreign interference. See the Ordinance on writing against synthetic meat, Made in Italy’s high school, and the proposal for penalties against those who use foreign words, at the suggestion of an enlightened FdI MP. Beyond these initiatives, a fundamental question needs to be asked. Is Italy still an attractive country? The question is by no means an idle one, especially in light of the latest discouraging data published in the Attractiveness of the European University System survey. The study was conducted by the University of California at Berkeley for the conference of the Italian Universities Presidents Crui, Alice Chivera, Eric Lehmann, Michele Meoli and Stefano Paleari, and found that Italian researchers earn half of their German colleagues and a third of their French colleagues..
But let’s take a look at why not only salaries, but also contractual conditions for researchers in Italian universities are clearly disadvantageous.. Let’s start with the fact that at the beginning of their career, our men earn an average of 28,256 euros (net). In the United Kingdom it reaches 49,168 euros, in the German region of North Rhine-Westphalia – 50,006 euros, in Bavaria – even 52,689 euros. The situation is not improving even for those who are moving up the career ladder. If here an adjunct professor can earn 40,988 euros net, then the corresponding figure for a conference maitre d’ earns 44,522 euros. In the United Kingdom, the salary of a senior teacher reaches 69,385 euros. A similar figure for a Bavarian researcher (69,328 euros), while in the Rhineland a W2 professor takes 70,333 euros. Proportionately, an Italian full professor earns €57,178 net, slightly above the French equivalent of Professeur des universités (€56,335), but well below an English professor (€91,973) and a German W3 (€82,627 in the Rhineland and €74,838 in the Rhineland). ). Bavaria).
But not only the salary makes people turn up their noses. In Italy for example land payrolls have a higher tax burden than in the rest of Europe and they do not include any adjustments, such as the number of dependent children or the cost of living in different cities. It must also be said that career surges in Italy come after decades and a very long period of instability. It means that those few who reach prestigious positions reach old age. In recent years, the presence of people under 40 in English and German academic circles has grown by 3.5% and 7% respectively. On the other hand, the Italian teaching staff decreased by 3% and the number of persons under 40 years of age decreased by 28%. Here the associate professor is usually 52 years old, in France he is 34 years old, in the UK 43 years old, in Germany 47 years old.
Figures that are also justified in complete lack of programs to encourage the entry of foreign talent into the territory, while the infamous brain drain continues, affecting between 5% and 8% of Italian graduates. Estimated for the decade 2012-2021. 248,000 graduates have left Bel Paese, attracted by better contract conditions with a negative balance during the pandemic between those leaving and those who stay, out of -79,000 people aged 25 to 34. . You don’t need other numbers to understand that the world of work is in crisis and that Italy is no longer an attractive country. At least for Italians.
Source: Elle