The data is not homogeneous because some statistics seem to stop at 2006 while others refer to 2009 and beyond; in addition, the average is calculated only on companies with more than 10 employees in the sectors of industry, commerce, construction and services. Fact is that if it hadn't been for the sting inflicted on Greece following the default alarm, the average salaries of Italian workers would, according to Eurostat analysis, be even lower than those of the unfortunate Greeks: 23.406 euros gross per year against 29.160 (now down to 11.064 euros, or just over 900 per month).
Not only that: with their 1.950 euros gross per month, Italians are among the lowest wage earners on the whole continent preceding, among the countries of the Eurozone, only Portugal, Slovenia, Malta and Slovakia, which with its 10.387 euros per year is bringing up the rear. Leading the ranking among the states that use the single currency is Luxembourg with 48.914 euros per year, followed by the Netherlands (44.412) and Germany (41.100). The French receive 33.574 euros each year, while even Spain and Ireland, two countries considered among the Pigs (the poorest in Europe), surpass us: the wages of their workers reach respectively 26.316 and 39.858 euros per year. The “richest” of the 27 EU member states are the Danes: they earn an average of 56.044 euros every 12 months.
The news obviously triggered reactions from the political world, first and foremost from the Welfare Minister Elsa Fornero, grappling with the labor reform which at this point proves to be increasingly urgent and delicate: “Since the pension reform – says Fornero – we have come a long way and now we are looking for a shared solution on the labor reform. In Italy we have low wages and a comparatively high labor cost, this situation must be unhinged above all by increasing productivity“. The solutions? "New rules are needed, such as that of fixed-term contracts that will cost companies more" and the creation of an "apprenticeship" that facilitates access to the job market by young people "by encouraging companies to invest in them". In two words, concludes Fornero, we need to achieve a "positive flexibility" that leads "wages to go up and not down".
Yes, because Italian wages, in addition to being among the lowest in Europe, are also those that tend to rise least. In four years, from 2005 to 2009, our incomes increased by only 3,3%, while Spanish and Irish incomes increased by 29,4% and 22% respectively. Luxembourg's payrolls, which already boasted the best data then, also grew by 16%. Not to mention the cost of living, which has risen dramatically in Italy: wages are low and an ever smaller percentage is granted to savings: according to the Adoc (Association for the Defense and Consumer Orientation) 80% of what workers earn is in fact absorbed by daily expenses, which are estimated on average at 37 euros, or precisely 4/5 of the daily income after taxes.
The only small consolation comes from the data on gap between men's and women's wages: Italy is very virtuous and stands at less than 5%, while the European average is 17%. Even in this ranking, however, we are not in first place, given that Slovenia boasts a better result and considering that women work very little here: as in Romania and Bulgaria.
