First notes on the labour market reform in Italy

Abstract

To meet the commitments made at the European level, last June in Italy was approved a labour market reform that has been defined as «historical» by the Council president, Monti. The reform focuses on finding a balance between the rigidity in the access and the flexibility in the exit from the labour market in order to increase the quality and quantity of employment. From this perspective, interventions affect multiple types of contract called «atypical» or «flexible», the legal regulation of dismissal and the unemployment protection system. Reversing the trend maintained by the Italian legislator for the past decade, characterized by emphasizing flexibility in the access to the work (i.e., in the working market entry) and multiplying the types of temporary contracts, the reform aims to make more flexible the dismissall in the open-ended contract, so that it is more attractive to the company.

However, there are many controversial aspects that characterize the legal text, unavoidable product of a political compromise.