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RNS Number : 5461X
Vodafone Group Plc
20 November 2014
20 November 2014
European youth divided on appeal of entrepreneurship
- Comprehensive Vodafone Institute survey among 6,000 young adults in six European countries
- Three-quarters of German 18 to 30-year-olds not interested in
setting up digital business or working for ICT start-up, while
Spanish and Italians want to become digital entrepreneurs
- Eighty per cent of Spanish and Italians keen to start own
businesses, while only half of Germans considering
entrepreneurship
- Italian 18 to 30-year-olds surveyed pessimistic about their
futures, Dutch and Germans most optimistic
Three-quarters of 18 to 30-year-olds in Germany have no interest
in working for a digital start-up or setting up their own
businesses in the ICT sector. However, Spanish and Italian young
people have a far greater appetite to become digital
entrepreneurs.
When asked if they would like to set up their own business in
any sector, 80 per cent of young Italians and 78 per cent of
Spanish interviewed said they would want to. This number was much
lower in Germany (53 per cent) and in the UK (58 per cent).
The Vodafone Institute for Society and Communications in Germany
commissioned YouGov to conduct a survey* among 6,000 young adults
in six European countries, including Germany, the UK, Italy, the
Netherlands, Spain and the Czech Republic, asking for their views
on the labour market, education and digitisation. The research was
undertaken in advance of Vodafone's Digitising Europe event in
Berlin on 4 December, 2014 at which German Chancellor Angela Merkel
will be a keynote speaker.
Spanish want to become digital entrepreneurs, Germans less
keen
The majority of young people surveyed in Germany cannot imagine
working for a digital start-up (70 per cent) or setting up their
own business in the ICT sector (77 per cent). In contrast, in Spain
and Italy there is a far higher level of digital career affinity.
Sixty-one per cent of Spanish young adults surveyed would be
interested in joining a start-up in the ICT sector, while 52 per
cent said they would consider setting up their own digital
businesses. Fifty-five per cent of Italians interviewed for the
research said they would like to join a start-up in the ICT sector.
A clear motivation for the Italians, Spanish and Czechs is the
harsh job market.
Thirty-nine per cent of respondents in the UK and 33 per cent in
Germany said they are definitely not willing to work in the ICT
sector, while only eight per cent of respondents in Spain and 11
per cent in Italy said they definitely did not want careers in
ICT.
Young Italians and Spanish pessimistic about their futures
The study found that the Dutch and Germans are optimistic about
their futures, while Italians and Spanish surveyed for the research
are more pessimistic. Only 23 per cent of Italians interviewed said
they expect to have a better life than their parents' generation,
and this figure was slightly higher in Spain (29 per cent).
However, German respondents were more optimistic, with 43 per cent
saying they expect to have a better life than their parents. When
asked about how optimistic they feel about their futures, the Dutch
were most optimistic, with 71 per cent expressing optimism, while
the Italians were most pessimistic, with only 41 per cent
optimistic. The Germans were also more positive, with 66 per cent
expressing optimism.
Italians and Spanish think they will need to move abroad to
secure work
Many Italian respondents agreed that job opportunities are
better in other countries and 61 per cent interviewed said they
plan to move to another country for work. Attitudes towards going
abroad appear to be affected by the economic situation in Spain as
well, with 58 per cent of Spanish respondents saying they plan to
move abroad because of job opportunities. However, in Germany, just
27 per cent said they would choose to move abroad for work.
Italians worried about their country's competitiveness
The young adults' assessment of their country's competitiveness
varied considerably from nation to nation. In Italy, 60 per cent of
18 to 30-year-olds surveyed are concerned about their country's
competitiveness and potential future job losses as a result of
digitisation. In Spain, 49 per cent are concerned. However, a much
lower number of respondents expressed these concerns in the
Netherlands (40 per cent), the UK (31 per cent), the Czech Republic
(36 per cent) and Germany (35 percent).
Young Britons see benefits of digitisation
The research demonstrates that the UK has the highest percentage
of young adults (86 per cent) who said that the benefits of
digitisation far outweigh the disadvantages. Seventy-two per cent
of respondents in Spain, 70 per cent in Italy and 73 per cent in
the Czech Republic share this opinion. Young people who were
surveyed in Germany and the Netherlands are less positive, with 69
per cent of them believing there are more benefits than risks
associated with digitisation.
Closer collaboration needed between companies, schools and
universities
The study also addressed the digital skills gap in the European
workforce. Young Europeans surveyed suggested closer collaboration
between companies, schools and universities. There was no consensus
among the young adults in the surveyed countries on which
institution should have overall responsibility for digital
education. Half of British respondents thought that the general
education system should be responsible (49 per cent). Twenty-six
per cent of Germans thought that responsibility should be placed in
the hands of the corporate sector, while just three per cent of UK
respondents thought that companies should take the lead in digital
skills training.
Other speakers at the Digitising Europe event on 4 December,
2014 include Vodafone Group Chief Executive Vittorio Colao and
Intel President Renée James. Information on the programme and
speakers can be found at www.digitising-europe.eu The event is a
collaboration between the Vodafone Institute in Germany and the
Vodafone Foundation, Vodafone's philanthropic arm.
Vodafone Group Foundation Director Andrew Dunnett said: "Europe
faces two simultaneous and very serious challenges: chronic youth
unemployment and a rapidly expanding skills gap arising from the
digitisation of the workplace. The diverse responses to the survey
among young people show the importance of placing the digital
economy at the top of the agenda and focusing on the importance of
technology in driving education and employment opportunities of the
future."
- ends -
For further information:
Vodafone Group
Media Relations
www.vodafone.com/media/contact
Note to editors
* For more information on the Vodafone Institute survey, please
visit:
http://www.vodafone-institut.de/economic-participation/17/european-vodafone-institute-survey-on-the-labour-market-careers-and-digitisation.html
About the Vodafone Institute
The Vodafone Institute for Society and Communications explores
the potential of mobile and digital technologies to improve
political, social and economic participation and to give better
access to education. The Institute fosters dialogue between
academia, business and politics. It develops dedicated projects,
initiates research partnerships, and publishes studies and
practical recommendations for action. Through events and social
media communications the Institute provides a platform for public
debate.
About Vodafone
Vodafone is one of the world's largest telecommunications
companies and provides a range of services including voice,
messaging, data and fixed communications. Vodafone has mobile
operations in 26 countries, partners with mobile networks in 55
more, and fixed broadband operations in 17 markets. As of 30
September 2014, Vodafone had 438 million mobile customers and 11
million fixed broadband customers. For more information, please
visit: www.vodafone.com.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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