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Information Technology in Italy |
by Agnese de Leo & Rosa Gabriele | |
IT Labor MarketItaly's GDP per capita is around $21,400. There GDP is divided into the following three main sectors: agriculture 2.6%, industry 31.6% and services 65.8% (1998, CIA--The World Factbook 2000) Italian industries are concentrated in tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear and ceramics. The Italian population is about 57,634, 327 as estimated in July and of those people 68% are between the ages of 15-64 and 18% are 65 and above. In the year 2015, 35% of the workforce or 1 out of 3 adults will be at least 60, which is the retirement age in Europe. The unemployment rate is an average 11.5% and is one of the highest in Western Europe. There is a great disparity between the unemployment in the Industrialized North (7%) and the economically depressed South (20%). Traditionally, the laborers migrate from the south of Italy to the North, where the jobs are. In 1998, according to an OECD report, 31.8% of students who graduate from the Italian University's are unemployed.Italy has been engaged in a heated debate over immigration and how many immigrants to allow into their borders. The industrial regions have asked the government to let in 50, 000 more skilled workers. Like most of the rest of the world they are also courting Indian programmers. With high unemployment, it seems odd that companies are looking for immigrant workers. Perhaps the answer lies in the lack of education on computers and in the IT field. Forecast of demand and supply of IT workers in 2002
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Education
Ironically, Italy has one of Europe's oldest universities, the University of Bologna, which has been around since the 11th century. Unfortunately, the University and education system is slow to progress. Although, Italy has a high literacy rate, i.e. 98% of people aged 15 and older can read and write and Italians are taught English in primary and grade school, they are lacking the computer skills. This year Italy is spending 1 trillion lira to outfit 15,000 Italian schools with computers. A recent article in the La Repubblica newspaper insists that one of Italy's problems is that even if they do have computer access, students are not using them. Teaches are not trained to use the computers and there is not enough instructional material on the web. The program to bring Italian schools on line will be completed by the end of this year. Then the true test will begin.
University courses number 7,961, of which 5,359 in the North and Center of Italy and 2,602 in the South. For 1997, 41.8 of 100 students obtained a diploma in computer sciences. However, only 4% of the students enrolled in University are enrolled in the computer science courses. In order for Italy to be on the cutting edge, this must change.
Interestingly while Italy has a Minister of University and Scientific Research and a Minister of Education they do not have a minister of technology. Which may say something about why they are just now beginning their efforts to make computers apart of everyday Italian life.
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EU Countries |
*Tertiary students (per 100,000 people in 1995) |
*Tertiary Natural and Applied Sciences enrolment (at % of total tertiary in 1995) |
*R&D Scientists and technicians (per 1,000 people 1990-1996) |
**Public Expenditure on Education as % of GNP 1996 |
**Military Expenditure as % of GDP 1996 |
*GDP (US $ Billions 1995) |
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FRANCE |
3,786 |
24 |
5 |
6.1 |
3.0 |
1,536 |
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FINLAND |
4,171 |
37 |
5 |
7.6 |
1.6 |
125 |
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NETHERLANDS |
3,769 |
20 |
4 |
5.2 |
2.0 |
396 |
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SWEEDEN |
2,936 |
29 |
7 |
8.3 |
2.4 |
229 |
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SPAIN |
3,992 |
-- |
2 |
4.9 |
1.5 |
559 |
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BELGIUM |
3,337 |
25 |
4 |
3.2 |
1.6 |
269 |
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AUSTRIA |
2,983 |
29 |
2 |
5.7 |
.9 |
233 |
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UK |
3,380 |
31 |
3 |
5.4 |
3.0 |
1,106 |
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IRELAND |
3,545 |
31 |
2 |
5.8 |
1.1 |
61 |
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DENMARK |
3,255 |
24 |
5 |
8.2 |
1.8 |
172 |
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GERMANY |
2,631 |
35 |
4 |
4.8 |
1.7 |
2,416 |
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GREECE |
2,841 |
30 |
1 |
3.0 |
4.5 |
91 |
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ITALY |
3,170 |
28 |
2 |
4.7 |
1.9 |
1,087 |
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LUXEMBOURG |
-- |
-- |
-- |
4.1 |
.7 |
-- |
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PORTUGAL |
3,209 |
30 |
1 |
5.5 |
2.4 |
102 |
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US |
5,398 |
-- |
4 |
5.4 |
3.6 |
6,952 |