The Budget Commission of the Chamber of Deputies has approved an amendment signed by Mirella Liuzzi (M5S) which provides for the extension of tax incentives for training 4.0, i.e. the fundamental activity of developing skills and knowledge necessary to seize all the opportunities in economic and employment terms envisaged by the growth of Industry 4.0. The amendment provides for the extension of the tax credit of 50% for small businesses, 40% for medium-sized businesses and 30% for large ones. The measure has a cost of 250 million euros.
The AIDP (association of personnel directors) had publicly expressed strong concern on 12 November last for the cancellation from the 2019 budget law of the incentive for training in the context of the Industry 4.0 Plan considered a cornerstone of the entire plan in relation to the development of work component 4.0. At the same time, the association launched a public appeal for the government majority to take a step back from a measure considered against the future of our economy and employment.
“I express great satisfaction with the reintroduction of training incentives 4.0 – he explains Isabella Covili Faggioli, AIDP President– As we have been repeating for some time, the main tool for job protection in the age of robots and artificial intelligence is training 4.0. Without the new strategic skills that the new job market will increasingly require, there is a risk of remaining on the sidelines. Employability in the new labor market passes through training 4.0 and its enhancement. The hope, at this point, is that during the conversion and final approval of the 2019 Budget Law, the measure will be confirmed and potentially strengthened. I reiterate AIDP's willingness to collaborate with the Government so that together we can find the best solutions for the growth of businesses and jobs in our country".
From research Aidp-LabLaw 2018 in Robot, Artificial intelligence and work, edited by Doxa, the strategic value of advanced training clearly emerges to seize on the one hand the many opportunities for new professions and new jobs that new technologies will create and on the other to resize the impact these will have on lower-skilled jobs. Therefore, training 4.0 will be the main chapter in which to invest in order to win the challenge of robotics and artificial intelligence in the field of the economy and the labor market. From our research, in this sense, clear data emerges. Companies and managers are convinced by an overwhelming majority (89%) that robots and AI will never be able to completely replace the work of people and that they will have a positive impact on the world of work and companies: in fact, it will allow to create roles, functions, and job positions that weren't there before (77%); it will stimulate the development of new skills and professionalism (77%); will enable people to work less and better (76%).
It will have a very strong impact in jobs with a lower professional content: in fact, it will favor the replacement of manual jobs with conceptual activities (for 81% of the sample). In fact, managers and entrepreneurs believe that beyond the benefits in organizational terms, the introduction of these technologies could have negative effects on employment and the exclusion from the labor market of those who are less educated and qualified. The negative data on the consequences in terms of job losses indicated by 75% of respondents should be read from this point of view.
