Italy flag Italy: Operating a Business in Italy

Work conditions in Italy

The Active Population in Figures

	2018	2019	2020
Labour Force	26,032,169	25,787,158	25,080,671

Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database

Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database

Employed Persons, by Occupation (% of Total Labour Force)	2015
Manufacturing	18.3%
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles	14.2%
Human health and social work activities	8.0%
Education	6.7%
Construction	6.5%
Professional, scientific and technical activities	6.3%
Accommodation and food service activities	5.9%
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	5.8%
Transportation and storage	4.6%
Administrative and support service activities	4.3%
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	3.8%
Financial and insurance activities	2.9%
Information and communication	2.5%
Arts, entertainment and recreation	1.3%
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	1.1%
Real estate activities	0.6%
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	0.5%
Mining and quarrying	0.2%

For Further Statistics: Ministry of Labour
For Further Information About the Labour Market: National Agency for Investment Development

Legal Weekly Duration: 40 hours
Retirement Age: 65, with a minimum of 25 years' contribution
Working Contracts: Labour contracts are governed by legal provisions and, to a lesser extent, by collective agreements. Conditions of hiring and dismissal are quite strict.

There are open-ended contracts, fixed term contracts or contracts for specific tasks/occasional services.
Labour Laws: Doing Business: Italy, to obtain a summary of labour regulations that apply to local entreprises

Minimum Wage: There is not a statutory minimum wage. Yet most Italian workers (nearly 80%) are actually covered by a minimum wage agreement, established through sectoral collective bargaining.
Average Wage: Average annual wage: USD 37,769 (source: OECD, 2020 - latest available data).
Social Contributions: Social Security Contributions Paid By Employers: Generally speaking, contributions are subject to variations depending on the professional branch, the risks, the number of employees and their professional qualifications. Employer’s charge is around 30%. Around 33% of the total rate is paid into the National Pension Fund, and the remainder is paid to the unemployment, sickness, maternity, social mobility and other funds (PwC).
Social Security Contributions Paid By Employees: Employees’s charge is around 10% and destinated for disability, old age and surviving spouses. Self-employed individuals are taxed at 25.98%. Additional voluntary and variable contributions are also allowed (PwC).

Labour Unions: Unione Italiana del Lavoro (UIL)
Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (CGIL)
Confederazione Italiana Sindacati dei Lavoratori (CISL)
Unionisation Rate: Between 70 and 79%
Labour Regulation Bodies

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