PADUA – There is a shortage of staff and small-medium sized businesses are forced to reluctantly give up a large quantity of orders. Result: 273 million euros in smoke. The province of Padua is twelfth in this particular ranking with Milan at the top. The data is based on searches of workers lasting over six months and was processed by the Confartigianato research office on Unioncamere – Ministry of Labor data. Trade associations have been highlighting the problem for years. Now there are numbers to confirm it.
«The lack of qualified personnel, in particular specialized workers, is a problem that is putting our businesses to the test – explains the president of Confartigianato Imprese Padova, Gianluca Dall’Aglio -. In May, the difficulty in finding specialized workers approached 70%, a figure that underlines the seriousness of the situation and leads to our companies not being able to grow adequately”.
The consequences
The critical issues related to the recruitment of qualified personnel have a significant impact on the ability of companies to grow. «Our artisan businesses base their success on the ability to continuously innovate and improve their products and services – continues the president -. Without a constant flow of new skills, companies’ ability to innovate is seriously compromised.”
The professions
In May, according to the Unioncamere database, in the province of Padua the expected arrivals of workers were 7,070. In 60% of cases they were concentrated in companies with fewer than 50 employees. The specialized workers and operators of systems and machines sought were 2,560, with a difficulty in finding them of 69%. In 48% of cases due to lack of candidates, in 17%, however, due to inadequate preparation of the candidates.
Among the specialized workers sought in May, the most significant number concerns the drivers of motor and animal-drawn vehicles (430), followed by specialized workers responsible for finishing touches in construction (370) and then artisan mechanics, assemblers, repairers or maintainers of fixed machinery and furniture (190).
The boys
A significant figure concerns young people: if we consider the 7,070 workers expected to join, we notice that in 32% of cases the profiles sought are under 30. This percentage rises to 34% for specialized workers.
«The presence of qualified young people not only brings new ideas and skills, but also stimulates a dynamic and innovation-oriented work environment – explains the president of the Young Entrepreneurs of Confartigianato Padova, Gianni Mezzalana -. Without them, our businesses risk becoming static and compromising their future stability.”
According to analyzes by the trade association’s research office on Istat data in Italy, the practices most adopted by small businesses to attract and retain staff, particularly young people, are three: the possibility of a salary increase, flexibility of working hours of work and increasing degrees of autonomy.
The obstacles
Companies active in the province of Padua with at least three employees who acquired new resources in 2022 declared that they had encountered obstacles in 76% of cases. 51% expressed difficulty in finding personnel with the required technical skills. In 25% of cases the critical issues were due to uncertainty about the future sustainability of the costs of the new resources. For 30% the difficulty is connected to finding personnel with the required transversal skills, in 7.5% of cases due to lack of space or other logistical problems or other obstacles. Only 24% of companies did not experience any obstacles.
The appeal
Meanwhile, Confartigianato Padova, a few days before the municipal elections, sent a political document to the candidates underlining the need to create territories suitable for young people. According to president Dall’Aglio “it is essential that future administrators consider the difficulty of finding young workers and adopt policies that make the area more attractive for them”.
Here are the key themes: sustainable mobility, safety, cultural spaces, job opportunities, smart living and youth participation. The proposals include safe cycle routes, optimization of public transport, cultural spaces, incentives for young businesses and smart technologies. «The objective is to improve the quality of life and promote the inclusion and active participation of young people in the community» highlights Confartigianato. The more young people come to live in the villages of Padua, the more young people will look for jobs in businesses in the area.
