Working in Florence, Tuscany

With exception to the North of Italy (Milan) and Rome salaries in Italy tend to be much lower than the European averages.

It's taken me nearly 3 years to understand the Italian work environment and I still think I'm a long way off fully 'getting-it'.

Florence is largely a marketplace of shop keepers and "operai" or factory workers, with a smattering of pharmaceutical and privately owned companies.

Average salaries tend to be in the range of €700 - €1,000 for manual/service work with professional jobs ranging from €1,000- €1,800. It has a thriving tourism industry and lives massively off this legacy.

Terminology you'll find at an interview:

1. Busta Paga : Literally your payment 'bag'.
   
   
2. Lo Stipendio: Your salary usually given as a annual or monthly figure.
   - stipendio Lordo: Gross salary
   - stipendio Netto: Salary after tax
   
   
3. Ore di Straodinario: Overtime
   
   
4. Il datore di lavoro: Literally the 'giver of work' / your employer
   
   
5. L'assunzione : the terms used to describe your active employment
   
   
6. Contratto: Contract

Pay Rises:

It took seven years for a colleague to get their first pay increase. SEVEN YEARS! Obviously an exception to the rule but the feeling I get is that you will only start getting a decent salary when you have committed years to a company.

One of the big differences I see between the UK and Italian work environoments are the number of people that have reached the age of retirement but continue to stay on. The result is that these elderly employees can carry such much power internally that no new ideas are forthcoming from the people working on the ground. The nearer truth is that these elderly people don't want to retire because they have worked a lifetime to get there!

On the other hand if you're looking for casual work, Florence is Tuscany's capital of tourism and there is an abundance of short-term work during the summer months.

Sectors:Manual/Casual:

Bar work - There is always plenty of bar work in the centre of town during the summer months this is something that many American/English students get involved in during their study. Working in the fields - As the harvests come in they'll need grape pickers in the vinyards. A great way to get a tan and earn some money.

Report that shows percentage of work offered in Tuscany 2003 broken down by sector

Archived annual reports

Professional:

First a little background.In Italy once you have a full-time contract, short of gross-negligence it is very difficult for an employer to get rid of you. Great you say? Not quite, the result is that companies don't want to risk handing out full-time contracts unless they're sure that the employee is going to be a loyal subject.

This is different to the UK where an employer is much more free to hire/fire staff at will with the result that employees try to get the most out of their job while they are doing it and don't expect it to last forever.

It's true that recently (2003) Berlusconi tried to change the laws in an effort to make the employment market more dynamic but after a series of strikes and Unions preying on the insecurities of the majority of the work force, Article 18 remained in force.

What's more, in a trend that seems largely a by-product of globalisation the larger employers here are now using temporary work agencies to fill what were full-time permanent positions in times gone by. One only need open the newspaper to see the offers being made by temp-agencies on behalf of blue-chip clients to appreciate that for a skilled professional, a permanent contract with benefits is becoming ever harder to attain.

I hope you're getting the picture.

Temp agencies in Florence such as Adecco, Adinterim, & Manpower offer a range of jobs from across the spectrum. There are also "Ricerca & Selezione" agencies that exist in Florence such as Praxi, Sistemi & Organizzazione,Sfida2000. These work on a similar principal to head-hunting agencies back in the UK. You can supply them with your CV and if they should be required to find someone by one of their clients and you fit the bill, they'll ask you to come and take part in the selection process.

With the odds stacked seemingly against everyone - be it the employees for finding work, or the employers for taking a risk on a person - for different reasons the standard practice by empoyers is to offer a "stage" or "prova" period. A "stage" is a trial period where you can expect to be paid at best expenses and at worst nothing at all. I was recently recounted a story of a company that had asked a friend to do a stage for 9-months without payment of any kind, to which they politely declined.

N.B. a "stage" can also form part of a degree, for example to become an architect it might be requested that the student spends two years working for a company in order to gain accreditation for the course.

If you're not looking for casual work try Bologna (just an hour on the train), there is a greater range of different business sectors in this city.

Portals and Papers:

The Corriere di Firenze is a local daily newspaper that on Tuesday offers one of the most complete listings of jobs - both causal and professional - in the region. The paper divides the jobs listings by town, Firenze, Arezzo, Grosetto, Siena, and then has listings for private companies [many of the jobs are placed by temp agencies]

A really good book for those that want to understand Italy in a little more detail has been written by Paul Ginsberg this covers the labour market as well as the role that the family plays in Italian life.

published 20th May 2004
updated 15th June