WHY-SO-POOR?
The social determinants of low-wage labour in the Italian tourism industry

About
A research project on how low-paid employment is shaped and reproduced in the Italian tourism industry

Tourism is a major source of employment and economic activity. Yet, despite its economic importance, the sector continues to rely heavily on low-paid employment, precarious jobs and unequal working conditions.

WHY-SO-POOR? investigates the social determinants of low-wage labour in the Italian tourism industry. The project explores how institutional arrangements, employment practices, social inequalities and the organisation of social reproduction contribute to the production and reproduction of low-paid work, and why low wages persist in an economically significant and expanding industry.

Drawing on a qualitative research approach, the project examines these processes through interviews with workers, trade unions and other key stakeholders across different Italian tourism destinations.

Why-so-poor?

Objectives

WHY-SO-POOR? aims to understand the social processes that produce and reproduce low-wage labour in the Italian tourism industry. More specifically, the project pursues four main objectives:

  • to examine how institutional arrangements, labour market regulations and employment practices shape wages and working conditions in the tourism industry;
  • to investigate how social inequalities, particularly those related to gender, migration and class, contribute to the concentration of specific groups of workers in low-paid employment;
  • to explore how the organisation of social reproduction, including housing, care and everyday living costs, contributes to the availability and reproduction of low-wage labour;
  • to analyse how workers experience, negotiate and respond to low wages and precarious employment, including the role of trade unions and collective representation.

Outputs

Activities

  • 25/11/2026 – “La banalità del mare”. Theatre performance by Cabiria Teatro exploring work and working conditions in the tourism industry. Auditorium Santa Margherita - Emanuele Severino, Venice, Italy
  • 23/05-13/06/2026 – Visiting research stay at the Department of Economics, Geography, Law and Tourism, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden
  • 22-24/04/2026 – International Labour Process Conference (ILPC), Leeds, United Kingdom. Conference presentation
  • 9/10/2025 – WHY-SO-POOR? Research project presentation. Opening seminar introducing the project's research questions, objectives and methodology. Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy. 
  • 23-25/04/2025 – International Labour Process Conference (ILPC), Santiago, Chile. Conference presentation.

Team

Francesco Eugenio Iannuzzi

Principal Investigator
Ca’ Foscari University of Venice – Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage
francesco.iannuzzi@unive.it

Francesco Pontarelli

Postdoctoral Researcher
Ca’ Foscari University of Venice – Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage
francesco.pontarelli@unive.it