The COVID-19 pandemic has nearly ended in Italy, and tourist numbers have returned to or even surpassed their previous levels in Italian museums. However, these museums may be forced to close because they cannot meet the demand, according to the director of the Uffizi Gallery. In an interview with ANSA, Schmidt mentioned that employment levels in Italian museums are continuously declining and warned that they could close, from the smallest to the largest, if a solution is not found. He stated that the upcoming government, to be determined after the general elections on September 25, must "immediately address and solve employment issues in museums and other cultural places in Italy."
The Uffizi Gallery in Florence is under significant pressure, especially after gaining international attention last month when Italian environmental activists managed to bypass security and cling to Sandro Botticelli’s painting "Primavera" to demand that the country abandon fossil fuels.
The decrease in staff numbers stems from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected several economic sectors resulting in a workforce shortage. This has negatively impacted Italian tourism as services for tourists could not be adequately met due to this shortage.
Tourism Minister Massimo Garavaglia estimated that Italy is expected to lack between 70,000 and 350,000 workers this season. Garavaglia explained that the shortage arises from the "citizen's income" social security scheme introduced by the ruling Five Star Movement in 2019, making unemployment more profitable than taking on insecure seasonal work with low pay.
To address the staffing shortage, Garavaglia has proposed increasing the number of visas available for seasonal workers from abroad and allowing individuals to keep 50% of their citizen income while working in summer jobs.
