New Government: what is the world of work scenario?

As the Centre-right government takes office in Italy the national and international scenario is coming to grips with the war.  The economic recovery that was just around the corner is slowing down because of external factors, with the situation in the Ukraine and its consequent high energy costs, but inflation is also at an all-time historical high, again due to the war.  The long awaited post-Covid economic surge is no longer certain and the national picture is wavering, subject as it is already to the severe repercussions of sanctions.

The new government will not have a free hand and will be conditioned by elements of international policy: it will not be able to undertake fiscal reform and will instead have to concentrate on a profound reflection on the world of work.  First and foremost, energy policies that support companies are desirable, so that they will not be forced to dismiss workers or close.

Giorgia Meloni seems to want to continue – at least in the initial stage of her legislature – along the lines of Mario Draghi.  There are manifold reasons for this, from the influence of the European Union that has voted for the enforcement of a minimum wage, to social peace, that would be hard put to the test should subsidies, first and foremost universal basic income, cease.

Yet if the outline for government action is already written, certainly it will not be able to ignore some key questions, such as reskilling and subsequent professional outplacement thanks to the life learning approach, that guarantees ad hoc training for workers.  And this alone is not enough.

In addition to the redefinition of the remuneration policy and continuous retraining, it is necessary to plan a total restructuring of the system through the rethinking of working hours, which must be reduced in line with the European model, ensuring substantial energy savings.

Together with these factors, the enhancement of results by means of an incentive policy and the modulation of work performance based on a hybrid model also have a bearing, in which smart working is not abandoned and the lessons learned from the emergency caused by the pandemic are not forgotten

These are the major issues on the table and represent an essential test for the fledgling government. The funds are there: Brussels has just given out the second tranche of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) funding. Contending with the essential points of the labor reform and finding solutions that are in tune with the needs of workers and the expectations of the European Union will be the first tasks of the Meloni government