The future of young people in Calabria depends on a choice that today has a precise name: remaining. Stay, invest, build your life and business project here, despite the difficulties. It is around this theme that, in recent days, the discussion has developed at the center of the initiative “Restanza: the future we choose”, promoted by the Young Entrepreneurs Movement of Confartigianato Imprese Calabria and hosted on Wednesday 17 December at the San Giovanni Monumental Complex in Catanzaro. On that occasion, the Confartigianato Giovani Impresa Calabria 2025 Report was presented, a detailed and undisputed snapshot of the state of health of the regional youth economy.
The numbers tell a complex reality. Calabria ranks 18th out of 20 regions in the Confartigianato Youth-Friendly Index 2025, the index that measures how much a territory is truly favorable to work and business for young people. A position that reflects known structural criticalities: weakness of the labor market, infrastructural deficiencies, difficulties in accessing credit and a persistent flight of human capital.
Yet, alongside the shadows, the report also highlights signs of vitality. 18,037 businesses run by under 35s operate in Calabria, equal to 9.8% of the regional total, a higher share than the national average. Even more significant is the data relating to craftsmanship: 3,412 youth artisan businesses, which represent 10.7% of the sector, confirming how craftsmanship continues to be one of the main spaces for initiative for those who decide to get involved.
The context, however, remains difficult. The youth employment rate stops at 33.3%, against a national average of 44.9%, while over 57% of young Calabrians between 15 and 34 are inactive. A fact that coexists with another apparent paradox: the difficulty of companies in finding qualified personnel, with over 3,000 professional profiles difficult to find, especially in the technical and artisan sectors.
It is precisely this contradiction that weighs on the Youth-Friendly Index. Calabria slips to the bottom of the ranking for employment and youth dynamics, but climbs up to 6th place nationally when looking at the structure of the production system, thanks to the spread of businesses under 35 and the capacity for entrepreneurial initiative. More marked, however, are the difficulties on the human capital front, where the region remains penalized by low attractiveness for graduates and deficiencies in digital skills.
Demographic dynamics also have an impact. Over the last ten years, Southern Italy has lost a significant share of qualified young people, and Calabria is among the most affected regions. A loss that impoverishes the economic fabric and makes it even more urgent to invest in those who choose to stay.
However, there is no shortage of encouraging signs. Digital businesses are also growing in Calabria (in Italy there are 156,859, with an increase of 19.1% between 2019 and 2024), with a significant presence of craftsmanship.
In the internal areas, which represent 81% of the Calabrian municipalities and are home to over half the population, the artisan business continues to play an economic and social role, often the only barrier to depopulation.
The theme of generational change remains central. Approximately 30% of artisan businesses present critical issues related to the age of the entrepreneurs, with a ratio between workers over 55 and under 35 exceeding 1.5 to 1. A figure that makes clear how urgent it is to accompany the transfer of skills and support the entry of young people into the production system.
«These numbers – underlines Confartigianato Imprese Calabria – demonstrate that young Calabrians do not lack ideas, courage and entrepreneurial spirit. What is often missing is a context that truly puts them in a position to grow: access to credit, targeted training, less bureaucracy and adequate services. Making remainder possible means transforming a difficult choice into a choice of value.”
The Confartigianato Giovani Impresa Calabria 2025 Report thus restores the image of a region in a precarious balance between fragility and potential. The Youth-Friendly Index clearly indicates the priorities: work, skills, credit, services and long-term policies. Only on these pillars will the remainder be able to become a true development project and not yet another individual bet entrusted to the good will of individuals.