New migration routes: mobility and self-perception of young Italians abroad

Donatella Greco, University of Trieste, IT

As official data indicate, the number of Italians deciding to leave the country has been steadily increasing over the last few years, and this is one of the reasons why this phenomenon can no longer be ignored. In particular, it is the number of young Italians taking part to this mass migration that is steadily increasing. A big part is certainly composed of young scholars, researchers and more generally professionals who travel abroad for work reasons, however we are also starting to witness an increase in the number of young people with an average level of education and professionalism, who just decide to spend a period of their lives abroad. Consequently, the characteristics of the present Italian migration flows are very different from those of the past decades. There is absolutely no doubt that their main destinations are usually European countries – even though the number of Italians outside Europe is also increasing, especially in China – and that the reason for their choice is not necessarily connected with the current situation of the Italian labour market. In this paper, the different motivations leading to the current emigration of young Italians are analysed, especially those connected to the identity issues. In particular, the main purpose of this qualitative research based on 60 interviews, is to underline the different characteristics that nowadays emigration paths can have. The analysis of young Italians’’ mobility in Europe and in the world through in-depth interviews made it possible to highlight the attitudes and personal motivations of the respondents towards the event of migration, and revealed that it is not only the search for better working conditions behind the decision to leave Italy and emigrate.