Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2015, published 105th ILC session (2016)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Italy (Ratification: 1971)

Follow-up to the conclusions of the Committee on the Application of Standards (International Labour Conference, 104th Session, June 2015)

Articles 1, 2 and 3 of the Convention. Measures to alleviate the impact of the crisis. The Committee notes the discussion that took place in the Conference Committee on the Application of Standards in June 2015 concerning the application of the Convention. It also notes that the Conference Committee requested the Government to provide a detailed report on the issues raised in its conclusions. Recalling some points that were previously raised during the Conference Committee, the Government indicates in its report that the Jobs Act (Act No. 183/2014) reviewed the system of social shock absorbers and requirements for dismissal of workers. The Jobs Act also introduces measures for rationalizing the administrative burden for companies and citizens; creates economic incentives for permanent employment contracts; and establishes the National Network for Labour Policies (Rete Nazionale dei Servizi per le Politiche del Lavoro), coordinated by the new National Employment Agency (Agenzia Nazionale per le Politiche Attive del Lavoro, ANPAL). Other measures introduced by the new legislation include the simplification of apprenticeship contracts and the “replacement contract”, a new employment contract which allows unemployed persons to receive additional services to enhance their labour market integration (“assegno di ricollocazione”). Further interventions aimed at balancing life and work, especially for women, were introduced by the Stability Act of 2015 (Act No. 190/2014). In addition, with the Action and Cohesion Plan 2015, the Government indicates that it has taken measures to counteract regional disparities of employment levels within the national territory. The Committee notes that, according to the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) data (June 2015), most labour market indicators have showed a positive trend in the second quarter of 2015. In particular, new hires recorded significant growth averaging more than 9.7 per cent over the last year, while the number of new permanent-term contracts increased by 34.6 per cent and the number of employed workers increased by 0.8 per cent from 2014. In addition, long term-unemployment decreased from 61.9 per cent to 59.5 per cent, and youth unemployment amongst those aged 15–24 decreased by 0.5 percentage point when compared to the previous year. The Committee requests the Government, in the same way as the Conference Committee, to provide information on how it ensures, in consultation with the social partners, a comprehensive approach to employment policies in order to improve the employment situation and foster job-rich inclusive growth, in line with the Convention. The Committee also requests the Government to provide further information on the consultations held with the social partners on the development and implementation of employment policies, based on regularly updated labour market data, including on the number, kind, duration of employment, and youth and gender issues and regional disparities.

Youth employment. The Government indicates in its report that, until October 2015, 807,315 persons aged up to 25 years old have been involved in the Youth Guarantee Programme (“Garanzia giovani’’) aimed at promoting youth employment and vocational education and training. In September 2015, the Government also launched the first European Employment Services (EURES) Job project, which aims to create 600 placements, 150 apprenticeships and 150 traineeships for young people aged 18–35. The programme includes providing financial benefits for small and medium-sized enterprises, for example, an integration programme of recently hired young workers and enhanced recognition of the qualifications of pre-selected jobseekers. Furthermore, the Committee notes that, with the Digital Growth programme (“Crescere in digitale”), the Government has fostered the use of online training courses for young people. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the impact of the measures taken to reduce youth unemployment.

Education and training policies and programmes. With the view of improving the impact of education and training policy in youth employment, the Government indicates that it has promoted since September 2015 an experimental programme aimed at implementing the use of apprenticeships in enterprises as relevant experience to obtain secondary education professional qualifications. Moreover, in June 2015, the Government introduced a unitary national reference framework for the reciprocal recognitions of over 2,600 regional vocational qualifications. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the impact of education and training policies and programmes, including apprenticeships, in terms of obtaining lasting employment for young persons and other groups of vulnerable workers.

Cooperatives. In order to promote productive employment through cooperatives and to reduce the employment gap between northern and southern regions of the country, the Government issued the Ministerial Decree of 4 December 2014, which provides new incentives for the development of small and medium-sized cooperatives aimed at recruiting workers from enterprises in crisis within all the national territory and restructuring existing cooperatives in southern Italy. According to the data provided by the Government, the number of cooperatives with a positive impact on employment has increased from 45 per cent in 2008 to more than 65 per cent in 2015, with a significant increase of the total number of cooperatives over the past 15 years (currently 106,970 cooperatives). The Committee refers to the Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation, 2002 (No. 193), and requests the Government to continue to provide information on the measures taken to promote productive employment through cooperatives.