(ANSA) - Using contacts remains the main way to find a job in Italy, according to a survey released on Sunday.
The poll of 100,000 private firms by the Union of Italian Chambers of Commerce (Unioncamere) found that almost 43% were in the habit of hiring people they knew while 39.4% admitted to hiring on the basis of 'recommendations' from friends and relatives.
Only 7% of companies said they used job agencies while a mere 17% said they recruited by advertising job vacancies.
The survey showed, however, that the bigger the firm, the more likely it was to use more formal recruitment methods.
A third of companies with more than 500 employees said they resorted to job agencies when hiring while 80% said they also used internal databanks and 10% the Internet.
The survey highlighted substantial differences in hiring practices between the north and the underdeveloped south. More than 50% of southern firms said they hired on the basis of personal contacts compared to 39% in the north.
Another recent survey found that most young people in Italy think that pulling strings or using contacts is a necessary evil, particularly when it comes to finding a job.
The study, carried out by the Eures research agency, said the age-old practice was not only still alive and kicking but was getting stronger in the south, where unemployment levels are particularly high.
Almost 50% of young people polled by Eures said 'raccomandazioni' (recommendations) were a basically harmless helping hand to be used without thinking of the moral issues involved.
With regard to jobs, more than 80% said a 'push' in the right direction was always acceptable while 47.7% said it was necessary and 32.9% reckoned it would be useful.
Some 70% said they wouldn't hesitate to ask for a raccomandazione for a job.
