Poverty in Italy is not synonymous with unemployment. Well 2,2 million families are poor despite at least one component being busy. In all, three millions of workers live below the poverty line despite receiving regular wages. And the number rises to 5,2 million if instead of the monthly income the annual one is calculated.
These are the data emerging from the XNUMXth "Report on the labor market and collective bargaining", presented Thursday to Cnel and elaborated by the National Economic and Labor Council in collaboration with Anpal and Inapp.
According to the study, the spread of poverty among workers is linked to several factors:
- low competitiveness of the Italian economic system;
- fewer hours worked than those living in better economic conditions;
- job insecurity;
- use of low-skilled labour;
- choices of some companies for cost containment.
Between 2014 and the first half of 2018, employment growth, as well as part-time, remains anchored to temporary jobs, which increased by 35%, equal to 800 more workers. Moderate growth is recorded for open-ended contracts (+460 thousand), while self-employment is in sharp decline (-117 thousand).
From the point of view of the quality of work and contracts, the report reveals how it is raised involuntary part-time (especially for women and in the South) and how it is decreased professional qualifications and those employed with medium-high qualifications.
In the light of these numbers, the experts who carried out the study conclude that "the support measures adopted by governments in recent years appear to be consistent: from the social card to active inclusion support via the Rei and now arriving at the minimum income and citizenship".
Secondo Tiziano Treu, president of Cnel, “however, we must avoid proceeding only with punctual measures and look at the root of the work problems, if we do not want to resign ourselves to low growth. Work is scarce, it is fragmented, of short duration and often of poor professional quality. With these characteristics, economic bonuses and income measures must be combined structural measures to reduce the tax wedge, training of workers and entrepreneurs on new technological and working models and the strengthening of welfare measures that have been proven to work."
Positive notes emerge from the section of the report dedicated to performance bonuses and corporate welfare. Between May 2016 and June 2018, around 15.639 businesses applied for the detaxation of the performance bonus (88% based on a company agreement), for a total of 33.869 applications and approximately 5 million beneficiaries. The total value of the annual tax-free premium is more than 3 billion, corresponding to 1.291 euros for each beneficiary.
- welfare agreements in December 2017 there were 5.236, for a total of 2.491.374 beneficiary workers and an estimated average annual value per capita of 1.435 euros. Welfare measures range from supplementary pensions to various forms of income support and child education measures, passing through the reconciliation between life and work.
To the welfare agreements are added 400 agreements profit sharing, for a total of 1.057.403 beneficiaries and an average value of 1.348 euros.