Advertisement

More than 28,000 Italians apply for 200 Ikea jobs

Author thumbnail
More than 28,000 Italians apply for 200 Ikea jobs
Ikea is assessing more than 28,000 applications to fill just 200 roles at its new store in Pisa. Photo: Trevor Pritchard/Flickr

Swedish furniture giant Ikea has attracted 28,616 applications for just 200 jobs at its new store in Pisa. Gaià Paradiso, a 25-year-old student at the University of Florence, told The Local there are "few options" for young jobseekers in Italy.

Advertisement

The high number of applicants reflects Italy’s high unemployment rate of 12.1 percent, with youth unemployment hitting 39.1 percent in June.

“Ikea is a multinational company and can provide work benefits...competition is strong and it is very hard to find something that specifically matches your profile, so everyone applies for the same company,” Paradiso added.

At the end of June, Prime Minister Enrico Letta secured a €1.5 billion package to tackle youth unemployment. However, most of the funds will be ploughed into the south of the country, with fewer benefits for those living in the north.

Paradiso said Letta’s plans were a good start, but more needs to be done to tackle unemployment.

“Italian businesses are not competitive enough at a global level, there should be a shift in mindset in terms of the value of leadership, teamwork, having an international English-speaking business and being open to worldwide communication,” she added.

“We know there’s unemployment, an economic crisis, youth problems and political issues, so let’s try and solve this together.”

Ikea said a statement that "the human resources department at Ikea Italia has begun screening the CVs received...During the first week of September, following telephone interviews, candidates will be contacted for the first group interviews."

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also