There is a big difference between the theoretical and effective retirement ages in Italy. Second the OECD study entitled "A look at pensions", today the effective retirement age in our country is on average 62,1 years for men and 61,3 years for women. These figures are among the lowest in the entire OECD area, where the average is respectively 65,1 and 63,6 years. A comparison that clashes with the normal retirement age established by law, which in Italy is on average 66,6 years for men and 65,6 years for women, the fourth highest among industrialized countries.
The situation, however, is destined to change radically in our country. And not just in the short term, with the adjustment of the retirement age to life expectancy which will take effect in 2019 (a mechanism on which the OECD and the EU recommend Italy not to back down), but also and above all in the long term.
Again according to the calculations of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, with the current rules 20-year-old Italians who started working in 2016 will retire at 71. But only if they have an uninterrupted working career, which won't be frequent. At that point we will have the second highest retirement age in the OECD area (after 74 for the Danes), where the average will be around 65,5 years.
THE AGING OF ITALY
This change is linked to the aging of the Italian population. A "constant" process, which poses a difficult challenge on the future role of the welfare system", explains Giorgio Alleva, president of Istat, speaking on Tuesday at the conference "To each his own welfare", organized in Rome by the Unipol Group.
The Statistical Institute notes that on January 0, the population aged between 14 and 13,5 was 65%, the lowest figure ever. The over 22s, on the other hand, exceeded XNUMX% for the first time. “Italy is one of the countries with the lowest weight of the new generations”, underlines Alleva again.
HEALTH, A GOOD FOR THE RICH
In this scenario we have to face a health situation characterized by many inequalities. On average, 67,7% of Italians declare themselves in good health, but among people belonging to the ruling class this percentage rises to 75,6%, while among elderly people alone and young unemployed it drops to 60,5%.
The level of economic well-being also affects the willingness to carry out checks, to the point that 21% of low-income families give up examinations and treatments due to excessive costs. “Policies that reduce inequalities are needed – concludes Alleva – Not only economic aid, but also more services”.
This does not mean that in Italy "the indicators on quality and life expectancy are very good, in a context in which we spend less than in other countries - explains Francesca Colombo, head of the OECD's Health division - But there are pressures on the future, primarily aging. The health system must be reoriented towards prevention”.
PUBLIC-PRIVATE INTEGRATION
To face this challenge “we need to become aware that in the future the State alone will not be able to maintain high levels of performance in terms of quantity and quality – argues Pier Paolo Baretta, undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy – The expenditure for assistance is destined to grow and if we want to maintain a high level it will be necessary an integration between public and private systems. This does not mean giving up the universality of treatments, but overcoming the concept according to which only the State can guarantee universality. It is necessary to consider old age and fourth age as a central aspect of the economy”.
INPS number one, Tito Boeri, underlines that all of this has nothing to do only with pensions: “There is a lot of talk about social security – he explains – but not enough about problem of self-sufficiency. Today we spend less than 2% of GDP on this sector but by 2060 we will reach 3,2-3,3%. We have to be very selective and fight against abuse. And alongside the public, insurance companies and private companies must also play a role”. An integration which, according to the CEO of Unipol, Carlo Cimbri, "is no longer a philosophical or political question, but is now accepted by all as an operational necessity".
Along the same lines Vincenzo Boccia: "We have to open a discussion table on the welfare of the future to conceive an organic economic policy intervention - says the president of Confindustria - We are at the beginning of a new phase and we must not make the mistake of going back , but open a new reformist season. In order to pay pensions, it is necessary to create opportunities for work, focusing on the competitiveness of businesses. Development and solidarity are complementary, not antithetical”.
