The latest INPS data shows that, at the beginning of 2024, the average age at which Italians leave work has risen, at least as regards early pensions. It is also the effect of the Meloni government’s tightening of various pension advances, from Quota 103 to Opzione donna.
Turn on notifications to receive updates on
In the first three months of this year, around 187 thousand pensions became effective, with an average amount of 1,225 euros. This is a decidedly lower number than last year: 16.1% less, and if we look only at public employees the drop is as much as 39.4%. This is information provided byInps, in its latest update on pension flows. Looking only at the numbers on early pensions, a trend emerges: these are paid later.
For public employees, laverage age of early retirement in the first months of the year it was 61.8 years. In 2023, she was 61.6. It may seem like a small change, but a change of a few months (on average) over the course of a year is still significant. The same goes for private workers: the average age for early retirement has risen from 61 to 61.2. The increase affected both men and women. Among the other categories recorded by the INPS, the age of direct farmers, sharecroppers and settlers has also increased, reaching 61 years whereas previously the figure was 60.8. No change however for artisans (stationary at 61 years) and for traders (at 62.1).
As mentioned, since the beginning of the year they have pensions reduced anticipated, but other types of retirement have also fallen significantly. So much so that those who leave work early have become 36% of the total (previously it was 33%), and in the public sector even 55% of the total (previously it was 42%).
Who has pension payments suspended in March 2024, what does the RED model have to do with it and how to fix it
The reason why the average age of those taking early retirement has increased is also that the Meloni government has imposed more stringent rules, with criteria that are more difficult to achieve. With the latest budget law, in fact, the executive focused on some measures in particular – the confirmation of the cut in the tax wedge and the three-rate IRPEF reform – and set aside an ambitious pension reform.
There was a slight increase in the minimum allowance, but otherwise Quota 103 was made more selective, we didn’t even get close to the Quota 41 promised by the League (retired with 41 years of contributions, regardless of age ) let alone the overcoming of the Fornero law, which is still in force. In particular, Woman option has been made almost inaccessible. The INPS numbers show this: in the first three months of 2022, 5,378 workers had it, in the first three months of 2023 there were 4,900, while at the beginning of 2024 there were only 1,276.
Thus, with the tightening of early pensions, the age of pensioners has increased slightly, and it seems likely that this trend will continue in the rest of 2024. In its Def, the government gave no indications on what it could do in the budget law, but resources will be few and the intention seems to be to focus again on different themes. In the autumn, when we start talking about the new budget law, the executive will have to decide which direction to go.
