Even when the crisis is more acute and the trends in employment, unemployment and inactivity rates do not show substantial signs of trend reversal, the labor market is never a "petrified forest", but accounts for a dynamic scenario, where often the demand does not meet supply, because the skills of those looking for work, often to no avail, do not meet the needs of those employers who would be willing to hire.
"Expertise" therefore becomes a keyword, an indispensable parameter for launching an effective active labor policy (see the outline of the decree establishing Anpal, in implementation of the Jobs Act Poletti 2.0), where what one is counts less and less (even if the data show that those who have in the curriculum, the title of higher education, especially research doctorates, are much more "employable"), but what one knows how to do. Having said this, we intend to point out that, in the 2015 Istat Annual Report, the essential aspects of the Survey on the occupational trend of the professions within the system of skills are summarized, with reference to 2014. The survey, carried out using models international standards, has the purpose of monitoring professional needs in the labor market.
Between 2011 and 2014, employment decreased overall by 319 units. However, considering the 508 categories monitored, it is possible to make the following classification: 82 professions are "in crisis" (-1,3 million employed); 70 are defined as "winners" (+1,4 million employed); 356 remain "stationary" (-363 thousand employed). More than 10 million workers are employed in the "stationary" professions; in those "in crisis" 5,3 million; in the "winning" ones 6,6 million.
In 2014, half of those employed in the "winning" professions were found in the large groupings of those skilled in commercial activities and services (26,7%) and in those of unskilled professions (23,2%), while shares around 13% are present in the cohorts of intellectual, technical, executive professions, while a residual part is found among managers and entrepreneurs. The Survey indicates 4 categories of competence of the professions: specialized technicians; non-technical specialists; the operating techniques; elementary school.
Let's start with the first group, which includes 12,6% of the employed (9,6% among the "winning" professions). Non-technical specialized professions group 31,8% of the total (32,8% among the "winning"). Operational techniques occupy 19,6% (13,5% the "winners") while elementary school 36% (44,2% the "winners").
Reviewing the professions, in 2014, the "winning" specialized technical ones are 12 (examples: manufacturing production managers, software analysts and designers, electronic welding specialists, electrical engineers, accommodation facility managers). In the last type mentioned, more than half of the workers are women who in general amount to 19,4% against a greater male presence. Young people under the age of 35 are equal to 21,2%.
Among the non-technical professions, the "winning" ones are 22, which can be grouped into three main profiles: 1) professions with skills of a general, economic and administrative nature; 2) educators and teachers with high communication skills; 3) health professions (in this category 46% have a high level of education and 58% are women).
As for the operational technical professions, there are 16 growing ones and in general they are workers' professions (including agricultural) with different levels of qualification. Here are the highest quotas of young people (26%) and the lowest quotas of graduates (3%).
Among the elementary professions, the "winning" ones are 20: 91,3% are employed in services, in particular in personal and family services (24,7%). Two out of three employees are women (carers, social and health workers, housekeepers). Just under one in three are foreigners. Half have a low educational qualification. As for the total number of employees attributable to each of the "winning" professions listed above, the data can be summarized as follows for the year 2014: technical specialists, 12 professions and 632 thousand employed; non-technical specialized, 22 professions and 2,16 million employed; operational techniques, 16 professions and 800 employees; elementary schools, 20 professions and 2,9 million employed.
