Italy: 2020 budget law extends paternity leave to 7 days

Obligatory paternity leave for private sector employees, which was introduced as an experimental measure in 2013 and adopted permanently through a law in 2016, will be extended from 5 to 7 days this year. The change forms part of the budget bill adopted on 27 December 2019. These days of leave, during which the worker receives 100% of their wages, are not necessarily taken from the moment a child is born or adopted, but must be taken within the five months following the event. A new father may take an additional, optional day of leave if the mother gives up a day of her maternity leave. Obligatory paternity leave in Italy, which is funded year after year by the state budget, has been extended gradually over recent years; beginning as a single day of leave, it was extended to two days, before reaching four days in 2018 and five last year. This progression is in line with the 2019 European directive on work-life balance. One downside remains, however: public sector workers are not eligible for this paternity leave.