La 2025 Budget Law contains a series of relevant provisions regarding social shock absorbers. Let's see which are the most relevant.
Cigs in derogation for areas of complex industrial crisis
For 2025, funds have been allocated 70 million euro, in addition to the residual resources from previous financing, for the continuation of the extraordinary treatments of wage integration, recognized in derogation from the general limits of duration in force, and of mobility in derogation, in favor of workers of companies operating in areas of complex industrial crisis.
Complex industrial crisis areas are those territories subject to economic recession and job losses of national relevance and with a strong impact on national industrial policy, which cannot be resolved with resources and tools that are solely within the competence of the regions.
The complexity comes from:
crisis of one or more companies large or medium-sized with effects on the related industries;
serious crisis in a specific industrial sector with high specialization in the territory.
For these areas (currently located in 15 regions, from Piedmont to Sicily) Program Agreements have been signed for the implementation of the prri which, in addition to the competent ministries, provide for the involvement of the Regions, Provinces and Municipalities, as well as the Port Authorities, each of which with interventions of competence and any related financial commitments.
Cigs for cessation of activity
The possibility of access to extraordinary wage integration treatment by companies that have ceased or are ceasing production activity, to avoid resorting to collective dismissals and to be able to temporarily manage excess personnel.
Furthermore, the scope of the provision that identifies the companies that have access to CIGS has been expanded to also include employers not covered by the bilateral solidarity funds who, in the six-month period preceding the date of submission of the application, have employed more than 15 employees.
This measure was financed with 100 million euros for 2025 and the wage supplement may be granted, in derogation of the maximum limits for the use of the redundancy fund, for a further period of 12 months.
Cigs beyond the legal time limits
It has increased by 100 million euro the spending ceiling for each of the years 2025, 2026 and 2027 to give companies, with strategic economic relevance also at a regional level and with significant employment problems, the possibility of requesting a further period of extraordinary wage integration treatment, beyond the legal time limits, lasting up to a maximum limit of 6 months for the extension of cigs for crisis and 12 months for the extension of CIGS for reorganization or for solidarity contract.
Income support for call center workers
In derogation from current legislation, the income support measures for employees of companies in the construction sector have been extended for the year 2025. call center by doubling the relevant Social Fund for employment and training to 20 million euros.
Extension of Cigs for companies declared to be of national strategic interest
For companies declared to be of national strategic interest, with a number of employees not less than 1000, which already have ongoing reorganisation plans which have not yet been completed due to their complexity, the Ministry of Labour may authorise, upon request, the extension of the extraordinary wage integration, in derogation of the legal limits, until 31 December 2025.
Discontinuity allowance for entertainment workers
The conditions for access to the discontinuity allowance (i.e. unemployment benefit) for those who have been employed for more than 12 years have been redefined in a more favourable manner. entertainment workers (self-employed, fixed-term employees and intermittent workers with an indefinite term). The financial support is paid in a single solution upon request of workers who have met the requirements the previous year.
From January 15th to March 31st, the service for submitting the application for this benefit for the year 2025, referring to the applicable year 2024, is made available on the INPS website, as well as via call centers or Patronato Institutes.
NASpI
An additional condition has been added to be able to access theNASpI unemployment benefit.
In fact, it is expected that for unemployment events occurring from 1 January 2025, in addition to the unemployment status and at least 13 weeks of contributions in the 4 years preceding the job loss, the following are also required: at least 13 weeks of contributions from the last event of termination of the employment relationship interrupted by voluntary resignation or consensual resolution which may have occurred in the 12 months preceding the involuntary unemployment event for which NASpI is requested, unless it is a resignation or consensual resolution which gives the right to NASpI and those protected by the mother or father.
In other words, to verify whether the worker is entitled to NASpI, following a cause for termination of the employment relationship that theoretically gives the right to unemployment benefits, such as dismissal, it is necessary to check whether in the 12 months preceding the termination of the employment relationship the worker has terminated an employment relationship by resignation or has terminated it consensually without the right to NASpI.
In this case, in order to access NASpI it is now required that the following are present in the worker's individual account: at least 13 weeks, even non-consecutive, of contribution payments between the last cause of voluntary unemployment and the involuntary unemployment event for which NASpI is requested.
Let's take an example.
On January 31, 2025, a worker ceases employment due to resignation (a cause that does not entitle him to NASpI) and on the following February 17, he is hired (by the same or another employer) with an employment relationship until the following February 28. Since between February 1 and 28, no contributions are paid for at least 13 weeks, the worker would not be eligible to benefit from NASpI.
If, however, the second employment relationship began on February 17 and ended, due to dismissal or expiry of the term or other cause that gave the right to NASpI, on the following May 17, the worker would be entitled to NASpI since, in this case, there would be contributions paid for at least 13 weeks after the resignation.
Finally, still on the subject of wage supplementation, it is useful to remember the provision contained in the so-called “Collegato Lavoro 2024” (law 203/2024), which came into force on 12 January 2025.
Compatibility between the wage supplement allowance and the performance of work activities
The rule that established the effects of carrying out work activities during the period in which the worker benefits from the wage supplement fund.
By overcoming the distinction between subordinate work activities of up to 6 months, which entailed the suspension of the CIG for the entire duration of the relationship, and subordinate work activities lasting more than 6 months or self-employed work, which resulted in the cessation of the CIG treatment for the days worked, the new provision provides that the worker is not entitled to the CIG treatment only for the days of subordinate or self-employed work carried out, regardless of the duration.
It remains understood that the worker loses the right to the wage supplement treatment in the event that he has not provided prior notification to INPS of the performance of the work activity carried out, whether subordinate or self-employed.
The mandatory communications for employers and temporary work supply companies are valid for the purpose of fulfilling the aforementioned obligation to communicate to the Institute the performance of work activities during a period of use of the wage supplementation fund.
