Internal mobility in Italy: A new delay

Abstract

From the second half of the 1990s, mobility appears to have changed profoundly from the great migrations of the 1960s, for two main reasons: firstly, the rise in short-range mobility; and secondly, the strong increase in attraction by geographical areas in Central and above all North-eastern Italy. In more recent years, the evolution of internal mobility has changed again, with a further fall coupled with a loss of attractiveness for some Central and Northern areas. The recent evolution of mobility could suggest that the large divide between the North and South is closing. However, this is not entirely the case, as differences in mobility by geographical area continued to remain and in some cases even increased. In fact, this analysis allows us to show how population loss from the South of Italy has actually risen. This study aims to focus on the evolution of the phenomenon in individual geographical areas and the varying levels of migration between the different genders and age classes. While we are clearly not facing a new boom in out-migration from the South, it is true that out-migration is continuing and represents a serious loss of human capital in this area.