ROME: The number of Italians leaving their recession-hit country to seek work elsewhere rose sharply in 2012, while incoming migration levels dropped, official figures showed yesterday.
The figures support reports that Italy — hit hard by the financial crisis and rocketing unemployment levels — is losing brain power and labour to other countries and has also become less appealing a destination for foreigners.
The number of Italians leaving the country rose by 36.0 percent to 68,000 people, up from 50,000 in 2011. They headed primarily for Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and France, the national institute of statistics (ISTAT) said.
More than a quarter of over 24-year-olds emigrating had university degrees, it said.
Conversely, the number of immigrants arriving dropped by close to 10 percent in 2012 from a year earlier, to 321,000 people.
There were fewer immigrants from Moldova, Ukraine, Peru and Ecuador, but there was an increase in people fleeing from countries hit by conflict, such as Nigeria, Pakistan, Mali and the Ivory Coast.
Russian woman changes gender
to escape debts
MOSCOW: A Russian woman on the run over unpaid debts has changed sex in an apparent attempt to avoid paying them back — but is still liable for the money, bailiffs said yesterday.
“The debtor changed gender to try to escape liabilities,” the press service of the bailiff service of the southern Astrakhan region said in a statement.
The 38-year-old woman, named only as Natalya, changed sex to become a man named Andrian after building up debts of around 130,000 rubles ($3,745), a spokeswoman for the bailiffs said. “During our investigation, we found out that the woman doesn’t exist anymore, and now a man exists,” said Yevgenia Zarynsh.
After changing gender, the man received a new passport with different details which he used as ID to secure new loans, bailiffs said.
But even such a drastic measure would not cancel the debts Andrian acquired as a woman, Zarynsh said.
“He will be liable all the same, despite the gender change. It’s futile. He’ll still have to pay them back. If a debtor thinks he can escape that way, he’s very much mistaken,” said the spokeswoman.
As a man Andrian has now built up new debts — this time unpaid taxes, Zarynsh added. He is still on the run.
Agencies
