The Immigration Puzzle in Italy: A Survey of Evidence and Facts

Abstract

Recently in Italy immigration has been at the centre of public debates. Nonetheless, the still growing literature has focused mainly on the experience of old settlement countries and has looked at single aspects of the phenomenon. In order to guide effective local policy intervention, we offer an exhaustive view of immigration in Italy. We combine the presentation of stylized facts from available data, based on descriptive analyses, with a review of existing studies. Our conclusions tell that evidence available for Italy does not match the policy relevance of the issue and also identify areas where solid evidence is needed.

Immigrant Labour Market Outcomes: New Insights from a Lack of Language Proficiency in Italy

“…The evidence shows that the employment rate of immigrants is typically lower than that of natives and that their job opportunities mainly consist of low-skilled (and often precarious) work (Adserà and Pytliková, 2016). Italy, in particular, has registered an exceptional increase in low-skilled immigrant in recent cohorts, with a proportion of low-skilled immigrants that is much higher than that found in other European countries (Barone and Mocetti, 2011;Mariani et al, 2021).…”

Con Amore: Exploring How Italian School Leaders and Teachers Accommodate Immigrant Students

“…In contrast, foreigners born abroad must legally reside in Italy for ten years to request citizenship (Azzolini et al, 2019, p. 701). The process for citizenship is a very complex and tedious task for immigrants to face (Mariani et al, 2023). The immigration law is still in need of reformation where citizenship is more accessible to immigrant families residing in Italy.…”

“…Over 5 million immigrants are residing in Italy (Mariani et al, 2023). At least 800,000 are students attending mandatory school (MIUR, 2017, Triventi et al, 2021Vlach, 2019, p.74).…”