Nobel Prize-winning physicist Giorgio
Parisi on Tuesday called for new tax breaks to be brought in to
encourage couples to have children and reverse Italy's declining
birth rate.
"Italy is in a demographic trap," Parisi told a convention on
paediatrics at the Accademia dei Lincei science academy, which
he is president of.
"It is necessary to intervene, including via fiscal aid".
The 73-year-old also highlighted the difficult labour-market
conditions young Italian people face, saying this contributes to
the brain drain and low birth rates.
Italy's has a high number of young people who are Not in
Employment, Eduction or Training (NEET) as well as high
unemployment rates for young people who are active on the labour
market.
Furthermore, most young people who are in work are in temporary
jobs or work under contracts that give them little or no job
security.
"The precarious nature of young people's contracts has spread
like wildfire in Italy and this is a fundamental political
problem," Parisi said.
"We have widespread, substantial and constant emigration from
Italy of people with a high level of professionalism and the
reason for this is clear to me, although perhaps not for
everyone.
"A young couple wants to have economic security to be able to
decide to have a child and this does not exist with precarious
contracts".
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