Inter-provincial mobility of young Italian citizens between choice and necessity

Corrado Bonifazi, IRPPS.CNR, Rome
Cinzia Conti, Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)
Frank Heins, IRPPS.CNR, Rome
Rottino Fabio Massimo, Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)
Massimo Strozza, Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)
Enrico Tucci, Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)

This contribution reviews recent trends and patterns of internal mobility of young Italians (20-34). It analyses the different available statistical sources, the definitions used and compares the obtained results. Regional mobility is a significant element in the transition to adulthood and closely linked to the transitions in living arrangements and in education and labour market participation. The different statistical sources allow to study the regional mobility of young adults and specific subgroups, like upper secondary school and university graduates. The regional mobility of young adults is a process based on individual decisions initiated by personal preferences and desires and the presence, or absence, of opportunities to realise these decisions. The regional mobility of young adults depends on the socio-economic context of the areas of origin and destination, the individual traits like demo-social categories and scholarly success, as well as the socio-demographic and socio-economic family background. Statistical data are drawn from different ISTAT surveys: the Labour Force Survey, the Population Register, the Study and Employment Careers of Upper Secondary School Graduates Survey, the Graduates and the Labour Market Survey and the Survey on careers of doctorate holders. The contribution offers a descriptive analysis and an in-depth analysis based on multivariate methods to trace groups of young adults with specific behaviours regarding regional mobility. The analysis presents a very variegated picture of the regional mobility of young Italian adults regarding the intensity of the phenomenon, as well as its patterns. The higher the educational attainment the more important becomes the educational career as driver of regional mobility. In many cases a first, often temporary, move towards a university leads to further moves, often ‘permanent’ or official, when entering the labour market. Provinces with universities attract not only university students but also young adults entering the labour market.