Most workers stay in bad jobs only from fear of unemployment.

Evidence

On the other hand, those who have pursued and won employment are profoundly dissatisfied with their jobs. According to the 2023 Censis-Eudaimon report on corporate welfare, 46.7 percent of workers in Italy are unhappy and would like to leave their current occupation, with higher numbers among youths. One of the reasons for this discontent is that 65 percent report a lack of career opportunities. According to Gallup’s Global Workplace report, employee engagement is low on all five continents. Almost two-thirds of workers are not fulfilled by what they do and adopt a utilitarian view of work—the idea that it “only serves to provide the money I need.” For many, even this goal remains elusive, as a lack of gratification and recognition is accompanied by poor pay, meaning it’s difficult to make ends meet. Despite the humiliation and frustration, more than half of those employed are not inclined to leave their jobs. Why? A lack of alternatives. As the sociology professor Francesca Coin wrote about the reality of the Italian economy, “This is hardly a reassuring picture, indicating a work normality marked by insecurity and dissatisfaction, in which the desire for change is solely discouraged by the fear of not finding another job.” — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 253

Categorization

• XREF: Italian data point for the reader’s Italy case reconstruction. — connects to: Unemployment serves as discipline that keeps employed workers docile and grateful — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 282