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

	2017	2018	2019
Total activity rate	65.49%	65.71%	65.82%
Men activity rate	75.07%	75.23%	75.14%
Women activity rate	55.97%	56.23%	56.53%

Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database

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

Working Conditions

Legal Weekly Duration: 40 hours
Retirement Age: 67 years old.
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

Cost of Labour

Minimum Wage: Italy does not have a legal national minimum wage, as wage floors are determined by National Collective Labour Agreements (CCNL) negotiated for each sector.
Average Wage: According to Eurostat, the average gross salary in 2024 Italy was around €33,523 per year (roughly €2,794 per month).
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).

Social Partners

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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