In Rome
Giorgia Meloni had made the incentive to work a key theme of his electoral campaign.
It is in this spirit that it launched on May 1 a “work package” aimed at facilitating hiring at a time when Italy, which today has the highest level of people in work in its entire history, i.e. 23.3 million according to Istat, has countless unfilled job vacancies.
At first glance, this "work package" offers the whole liberal panoply of hiring incentives: from the attractiveness of remuneration for low wages to the flexibility of short contracts, passing through financial aid to hiring people far from employment, until the reduction of social shock absorbers.
While many of these measures are transitional, three of them deserve particular attention.
First, as the government did not want to encourage an increase in gross wages, it is by reducing social charges on wages below 35,000 euros per year (2,700 euros gross per month) that it supports the government. household purchases.
In total, with the reductions already granted during the vote on the 2023 budget, these two cuts in the “tax wedge” for low wages will increase the net salary received by around 100 euros per month.
Nevertheless, the measure, at a cost of 4.5 billion over 2023, is transitional, from July 1 to December 31 of this year.
Then, the government facilitates the use of fixed-term contracts, by making their renewal more flexible.
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Unfit or employable
Finally and above all, the most politically marked measure of this “work package” is the abolition of the citizen income received in 2022 by 1.5 million households, comprising 3.3 million people.
But while the candidate Giorgia had promised to remove this aid which "disincentives" to seek employment, the President of the Council Meloni is in fact only resizing at the margin.
Calls for the maintenance of the citizen's income, recognized as being an effective aid in the fight against poverty, came from all of society, including the Episcopal Conference.
And in southern Italy, where the proportion of universal income recipients is two and a half times higher than in the whole country,
Giorgia Meloni therefore chose to create a distinction between, on the one hand, people who are unfit for work and, on the other, employable people.
The former, defined as households with disabled people, people over 60 or minors, will continue to receive a "guarantee for inclusion" of 500 euros per month (raised to 630 if all household members are considered fragile), plus 280 euros in the event of payment of rent.
And this for 18 months with renewal, after suspension of one month, for 12 additional months.
The “great reform” of Giorgia Meloni's citizen income does not consist so much in abolishing it, or even in reducing its amount, as in reducing the number of its beneficiaries
Francesco Seghezzi, director of Adapt
Among the criteria used, a total income declared to the tax authorities of less than 9,360 euros per year, and real estate assets, excluding the fixed address, the value of which must not exceed 30,000 euros.
While the average amount of distributed citizen income was 559 euros in March 2023, that of the “guarantee for inclusion” will basically not be significantly lower.
Only the number of beneficiary households will be reduced, from 1.115 million in March 2023 to 709,000, according to the government's estimate.
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The 'great reform' of Giorgia Meloni's citizen's income does not consist so much in abolishing it, or even in reducing its amount, as in reducing the number of its beneficiaries.
sums up Francesco Seghezzi, director of Adapt, an association that compares labor policies in Europe.
The resized inclusion income should cost 5.4 billion euros in 2024, compared to 8 billion euros for the citizen income.
A symbolic revolution
Ultimately, will Giorgia Meloni's revolution be more symbolic than real?
It is for "people able to work", aged 18 to 59, that the change will - perhaps - be the most noticeable.
From September 1, the benefit of some 600,000 households will be suspended or withdrawn if they refuse a "valid job offer", defined by the nature of the contract and the distance from home.
To sum up, if the offer concerns a full-time permanent contract or a fixed-term contract of more than 12 months, it is valid throughout Italy.
If it is a CDD of less than one year, the offer is valid if the job is less than 80 km from home.
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Before the confrontation with the job offer, suitable people will be able to receive 350 euros per month, if they follow training or carry out work of general interest (TIG).
But this, only during the time of the training or the TIG.
Will the Meloni reform bring out new workers in Italy?
Francesco Seghezzi doubts it:
"Labour market activation policies have never worked in Italy, because we don't put enough money into training, organized by the regions and therefore very unevenly across the territory. .
As for believing that after having taken a three-month course, one will find a job every time, it is an illusion.
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