All that glitters is not gold. Italian young workers and the uncertain work market surrounding the European institutions
«I started sending out applications more seriously in August, and I counted them. I’m not joking, there were more than 280 from January to December 2024. But maybe even more, because I missed some», says Maria Vittoria Traforti, a young woman who works at the Italian office of ALDA, an organisation that aims to build local democracy, active citizenship, and cooperation between local authorities and civil society in Europe. «No one gives you anything for free afterwards, and you have to wait to make the most of your degree anyway», states Renato Perna, a young law consultant who works for the National Representation of Italian Lawyers in Brussels.
Traforti (24 years old) and Perna (26 years old) are two radically different people with different behaviours, personalities, and ways of facing problems. But they have something in common: they are two young Italian students who decided to study in Belgium because they believed this choice would give them more opportunities and a golden path to European institutions.
Every year, hundreds of Italian students move to Belgium to study. At KU Leuven University alone, more than 1300 Italian students were enrolled last academic year. Similarly, during the academic year 2023-2024, out of the almost 7,400 foreign students (15% of the total student population) at Ghent University, Italy was one of the top five of European countries of origin, and the same applies to VUB. As mentioned earlier, some Italian students make this choice because they would like to work in the European institutions or in related fields. Studying in Belgium seems like a natural decision, but it can lead to a precarious situation, where you feel lost and need months to find an internship. Traforti and Perna, two ex-Italian students in Belgium share their stories and what led them to two radically different paths.
Perna explains that he came to Belgium because, after completing his 5 years law degree in Italy, he realised that EU Law and International Law were the subjects he loved most in his programme and today, he still aspires to work for the European institutions. He moved to Leuven, where he got a master’s degree in European Studies and remembered that choice as a necessary step for him, because he believed that it would make his future in Belgium easier. That wasn’t the case, because he realised almost immediately that, in the end, things were not so easy. In a bitter and nostalgic tone, he points out «They sell you this master’s degree as the key to opening the doors of the institutions, but that’s not the case».
Similarly, Traforti went to Belgium after her bachelor’s degree in Italy and completing an Erasmus exchange in Barcelona. With Perna she attended the same master, convinced that studying in a city near the institutions would give her more opportunities to work there. She adds that when she first moved, she was 17 years old, and her intention was to stay anywhere but Italy, because she didn’t and still doesn’t identify with the government of her country. She felt she couldn’t get along with many people and their values as well. She also thought that her skills and qualities could be more valued in other countries and that the quality of life and the balance between personal and professional life were better everywhere than in Italy.
When they both graduated in September 2024, they remained unemployed for almost a semester despite speaking three languages, holding two degrees each (including one from abroad) and having international experience. Even though they had expected these challenges and knew they were common in Brussels, that time was far from easy for the two of them.
Perna explains that in that period he had few interviews compared to the number of applications he sent out every day. He knew it was normal, but after a while, he started to feel increasingly demoralised because he felt like he was wasting his time. Traforti had a similar experience. After her graduation, she sent an incredible number of applications, but she couldn’t find any internships in Brussels. After four months, she decided to move back to Italy. Perna made a different choice instead and insisted.
Globally, one in five individuals faces unemployment, and according to research, there is a significant positive association between unemployment and mental disorders. This is especially true when unemployment is prolonged over time. The two did not mention a specific syndrome, but they had and still have a psychologist with whom they could talk about the difficulties of that period. On that point, too, they shared a similar story.
«In the beginning, I thought that the situation was normal, I was convinced it was normal. But after three months, it really started to become hard, both because some people around me had already found something or were still in the same situation. As time goes on, you start to believe that the problem is you, your abilities, the way you present yourself in your cover letters. It becomes a personal issue, and at a certain point, it really started to affect my psyche and my mental well-being», Traforti explains in a mix of nostalgia and bitterness.
When asked whether they wanted to stay abroad partly to preserve the ‘performative image’ of the successful Italian living overseas, both reflected on the pressure to appear successful in Brussels. They were asked whether their sense of well-being was genuine or rather something meant to impress others or to convince themselves, influenced by social expectations and social media. In Italy, there is a term esterofilia, which literally means ‘love for what is abroad.’ It refers to the widespread admiration Italians often feel for foreign countries, a feeling that is especially common among young people, fuelled by economic crisis and precarious working conditions at home. Perna and Traforti agree that this feeling certainly exists, but they also pointed out that there is more to consider. For example, Perna notes that the people he sees on social media, presenting perfect lives, both personally and professionally, led him to question why he wasn’t achieving the same success.
On this topic, Traforti shares a different, but interesting reflection. She admits that she had expected people in Italy to judge her decision to return, perhaps calling her a quitter for coming back so soon. Instead, during one of her first meetings, her boss introduced her by saying, «She’s one of the famous brain drainers who has returned».That comment, she recalls is an example of how her decision was differently perceived in Italy and Belgium. In explaining her decision, she emphasizes that she no longer sees it as a failure. Nodding proudly, she says:
«For me, coming back to Italy is not a failure, quite the contrary. It was the most mature decision I have ever made…I had always put my professional life first, but even that wasn’t going anywhere, despite my efforts. Four or five months had passed, and things were still not improving, so it was a carefully considered choice. When you don’t see any room for improvement in any aspect of your life, personal or professional, you take a step back».
In conclusion, their stories reveal the lesser-known side of Italian migration abroad, particularly among those who have invested their time and hope in working for European institutions. When asked whether they still felt a sense of disenchantment towards the institutions, their experiences, and the lack of recognition for their sacrifices, both answered that, despite everything, the European Union remains the only actor capable of bringing real change. Their situation, however, represents a micro-story within a much larger issue: a saturated job market, intense competition, and widespread job insecurity. Even today, after six years of study, Perna says he still doesn’t feel fully settled. It seems to be a system that demands as much experience as possible, yet rarely rewards the effort invested. This is not a problem experienced only by Italians though. It is a broader, European phenomenon. There are those who choose to stay, and those who decide to return or to move elsewhere. As Traforti says, «It is not a step back, it is simply a step in another direction».
