Italy has the slowest economic growth in the European Union and unemployment is quite high in southern Italy, at around 20%, compared to the national rate of unemployment which currently stands at 8%. The Italian job market is therefore highly competitive even for highly skilled workers, although the situation is more promising in the richer northern part. For all jobs other than English teaching, and possibly IT, a good knowledge of Italian is essential. Even where your work does not in itself require you to use Italian, a command of the language is still extremely helpful in negotiating with officials, landlords and employers.