According to Eck Schmidt, Director of the Uffizi Gallery, in an interview with ANSA, with visitor numbers reverting to pre-pandemic levels, Italian institutions may be unable to meet demand and may be forced to close.
Schmidt said that if no solution was found, we will close all of them, even the largest.
He requested that the next Italian government, which will be chosen following the general election on September 25, promptly address and resolve staffing issues at museums and other cultural institutions.
The Uffizi exhibition in Florence is under extra monitoring after drawing international notice last month when Italian environmental activists managed to get past security officers and cling to a painting named Primavera by Sandro Botticelli, asking that the country renounce fossil fuels.
Following the COVID-19 outbreak, several sectors of the Italian economy encountered labour shortages.
The problem harmed tourism since not enough individuals applied for seasonal jobs to meet increased demand.
According to Tourism Minister Massimo Garavaglia, Italy would be short 70,000 to 350,000 workers this season.
According to Garavalia, the disparity is attributable to the ruling Five Star Movement’s 2019 citizens income social security programme, which makes being unemployed more profitable than engaging in risky seasonal professions for which they are underpaid.
Five Star MPs, on the other hand, said that the fundamental problem was job insecurity and irregular contracts. Furthermore, according to a poll of 1,650 seasonal employees, the top reason people chose not to work in the 2021 season was concern about the Covid virus.
To solve the tourist industry’s labour shortage, Garavalia recommended increasing the number of visas available to seasonal workers coming from outside and allowing them to keep 50% of their citizens’ income while working in summer roles.
All Italian museums may be compelled to close!
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