Companies under pressure, the burgeoning gig economy, more and more unpaid internships and a rising number of temporary employment contracts: all these elements combining at a time when Italy is seeking a solution to the political impasse reigning since March’s inconclusive election results, have done nothing to support an already fragile jobs market. Signs of an upturn can be distinguished with record employment rates and a falling unemployment rate, however the Renzi and Gentiloni reforms, and notably the Jobs Act have not resolved underlying structural problems such as youth unemployment and female underemployment.
Record employment rate. Latest data from the statistics institute, Istat, indicate the employment rate in March for those between 15 and 64 stood at 58.3%, making this the highest level since November 2008 when the financial crisis just hit. 190,000 more people were in work in March 2018 than a year previously. For the same month 13.26 million were inactive, down from 14.12 million in January 2015 and the inactive rate has fallen from 36.2% in January 2015 to 34.3% in March 2018.
Do you have information to share with us?