In Sardinia, one in five young people is neither working nor studying: "It's impossible to build a future like this."

In Sardinia, the number of young people neither working nor studying nor participating in training remains too high. This phenomenon has shown signs of improvement in recent years, but it continues to represent one of the island's main structural weaknesses.

This is what emerges from both the report by the Giannetto Lay Study Center of the CISL Sardinia, entitled "Young People, Skills and Work: Sardinia's Long Unfinished Transition," and from the latest ISTAT data. In 2024, the so-called "NEETs" between the ages of 15 and 29 in Sardinia will be 17.8% , a figure higher than both the Italian average (15.2%) and the European average, which stands at around 11%.

The phenomenon, CISL reports, appears to be improving compared to the most difficult years of the long economic crisis, when in Sardinia it reached levels close to 30%, but continues to maintain structural characteristics that do not allow for reassuring interpretations.

"The problem isn't just how many NEETs there are," says CISL Sardinia Secretary General Pier Luigi Ledda . "The problem is what these numbers are telling us about Sardinia. They're telling us that the system continues to lose young people, skills, and the ability to build the future ."

For CISL Sardinia, the youth issue can no longer be addressed as a separate or sectoral issue. In a region characterized by a demographic crisis, a rapidly aging population, a declining workforce, and a weak productive system, the relationship between young people and employment becomes a strategic issue that affects the very future of the island. "Where opportunities, services, and skilled labor are reduced, the risk of exclusion from education and employment inevitably increases," Ledda emphasizes.

The territorial picture shows very marked differences . The internal areas and the economically most fragile territories continue to record the highest levels of youth inactivity: Southern Sardinia 21.4%, Nuoro 20.4%, Oristano 18.1%, Cagliari 17.5%, Sassari 14.5%.

This issue is linked to skills and education. The island continues to have education levels below the national average : only 56.8% of the population between 25 and 64 have at least a high school diploma, compared to 66.7% for the Italian population, while the share of graduates in the 25-39 age bracket stands at 25.3%, compared to 30.9% for the Italian population. Significant difficulties in basic skills also persist, while school and educational dropout rates remain higher than the Italian average.

"The risk," Ledda emphasizes, "is fueling a vicious cycle: fewer opportunities lead to more youth emigration, the loss of human capital further reduces Sardinia's competitiveness, and lower competitiveness generates new employment difficulties."

For this reason, the union reiterates the need to build a Pact for Development, Work, and Training, capable of connecting schools, universities, vocational training, ITS, active labor policies, and productive development.

(Unioneonline/AD)