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Italy: a regional government introduces measures to support jobseekers

  • Jobseekers in the Italian Region Veneto are supported with an allowance of a maximum amount of EUR 5.796
  • So far the measure has supported 52,775 unemployed persons
  • It is a form of successful collaboration between public and private employment services

Since October 2018, the government of the Italian Region Veneto, in collaboration with Veneto Lavoro (the public entity in charge with employment promotion) offered a “jobseeker’s allowance” (“Assegno per il lavoro) to unemployed persons over 30, who are resident or domiciled in the region, regardless of the length of their unemployment. With the allowance, unemployed persons are supported in their job search with “information, guidance and counselling services, training and support for integration/re-integration into the labour market”.

Between October 2018 and December 2020, Veneto Job Centers issued 52,775 Jobseeker's Allowances. 70% of recipients are over 40 (36% aged 40-49 and 34% over 50).

Once the jobseeker allowance is granted to applicants (for a maximum amount of EUR 5.796), the Job Center defines the employability of the unemployed person, “i.e. the degree of distance of the unemployed person from the labour market, and the degree of aid intensity, which will determine the maximum allowable amount for services aimed at assisting the person's placement/outplacement”.

 “Once the allowance has been received, the worker has 30 days to choose one of the 108 accredited bodies for Employment Services in the Veneto Region that are allowed to implement the measures, with 400 offices available across the region”.

Part of this allowance (EUR 1,770) can be used for training, such as language or IT certification and professional development.

Accredited bodies are private sector employment services, like GI Group, Umana, Adecco, Manpower, Enaip Veneto, that receive the larger part of the allowance when the jobseeker signs an employment contract of at least 6 months of duration, including for agency work.

The measure has been successful for 32,416 jobseekers, that have been signing long-term or short-term employment contracts.

Such an initiative is a valuable example of successful collaboration between public and private entities with a view to decrease unemployment and fulfil the labour market’s needs”, comments Antonio Bonardo, Public Affairs Senior Director of GI Group. “GI Group has been supporting 6,635 jobseekers under this initiative and we look forward to extending this initiative to other regions. It is the kind of exchange private and public employment services need to provide a real support to unemployed persons”.

Similar initiatives have been developed in other Italian regions, but mostly target youth, below 30 and that is not in education, employment, or training (the so-called NEET).