Topic 1 Cultural dimensions of Italy’s workplace
The labour market of Italy has significant differences between the regions. In fact, in the north the work activity is mostly related to industry, instead, in the south, most of the workers are employed in the agricultural sector or tourism.
Data from the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) claims that 23,2 million people are currently working in the Italian labour market. Moreover, in 2020, the employment rate of third country nationals working within the Italian territory was lower than that of Italian citizens (61,4% compared to 62,9%).
In the Italian labour market, migrants suffer greater disadvantages than Italian workers. First of all the language is a barrier, almost all employers required even a basic knowledge of Italian (especially for jobs that involve a close relationship with other individuals). Moreover, third country nationals usually face some social issues: discrimination and prejudices.
TCN in the workplace Issues & Barriers
In the labour market, employers usually expect that migrant workers already have language skills or simply do not see this as their problem. Usually, Italian companies and employers do not actively help TCNs who work with them as employees, to fill any language gaps.
Even if migrants have basic language skills, this does not guarantee that they have the necessary knowledge to integrate into a work environment (rules, ways of relational interaction, etc.). In this case, the specific language is interconnected with the job and tasks and should be a goal shared with the employer as he/she also benefits from it (better working environment, more efficient performance, etc.).
Unfortunately, prejudices are very common in the Italian labour market, especially in relation to foreigners. Often these prejudices result in discriminatory attitudes or behaviour.
For example, it is very common to consider TCNs able to work only in low-skilled jobs because they are often “forced” to accept this work out of necessity (poverty) or due to structural problems (non-recognition of qualifications and diplomas obtained abroad) even though they would have the necessary skills to perform skilled work.
It is important to take into consideration that culture significantly influences the way each of us lives our lives. This also happens in the labour market; individuals may have different ways of communicating, thinking or interacting. Moreover, behaviour in the workplace can also be influenced by different religious beliefs, which must be considered in a multicultural environment.
Open reflection
Have you every faced (directly or indirectly) any issue or barrier in your workplace? If yes, which kind of barrier? How did you (or others) overcome the issue?
