May Day reflection for the world of Work in Puglia. The occasion is Labor Day with a mixed budget on a national scale, but which in the region shows the first glimmers of economic recovery with an increase in new hirings (+6.3% growth), while still suffering an economic gap between North And South. Theme that the President of the Republic focused on yesterday, Sergio Mattarella, on the occasion of the celebration of Labor Day in the Cosentino agri-food district. «The South of Italy is a part of Europe, and is decisive for the future, together with the various Souths of the continent. There are excellences and greats gaps. The southern regions – stated Mattarella – today have an income that does not reach that of other national areas. In some respects their citizens benefit from less efficient services. In the South the employment rate is lower than in the Center and the North. Women and young people pay a high cost and there are many who, reluctantly, leave their homeland, accentuating a risk of depopulation which should, however, be curbed.” «The development of the Republic needs the relaunch of the South – added the Head of State. It is hardly necessary to underline how balanced and quality growth in Southern Italy ensures great benefits for the entire national territory. A separation of the roads between the territories of the North and the territories of the South would cause serious damage to both.”
The security
Another topic addressed by President Mattarella is the need to have safety in the workplace. «We cannot accept the continuous drip of deaths, caused by carelessness, imprudence, risks that should not have been taken. A thousand deaths at work in a year represent an unimaginable tragedy. Each of them, even just one, is unacceptable.”
An overall picture of work which therefore requires careful reflection, but which sees Puglia in first place among the Italian regions for employment growth (6.3%). The data from the report created by the Mestre artisans and small businesses association (Cgia) revealed that the number of employed people in Italy increased by 292 thousand units: in April 2023 there were 23,481,000 employed people, compared to 23,773. 000 in February 2024 (Istat data). Forecasts say that the total stock of employed people will grow further, reaching 24 million by 2025.
On a national scale, 98% of businesses have fewer than 20 employees. Net of workers in the public sector, around 60% of workers work in SMEs busy. The number of highly specialized/qualified workers increased in the last year by 5.8% (+464 thousand), equal to 96.5% of the new jobs created in 2023; while compared to 2019 the change is +2.3%, but more contained than the previous year (+192 thousand) with an impact of 40.7% on the new jobs created in the last four years. However, some critical issues still remain, first of all the low employment rate: among the 20 Eurozone countries, Italy is last with 61.5%, compared to an average of 70.1% in the Eurozone. Self-employed workers; compared to 2019, they fell by 223 thousand units (-4.2%), although in the last year there was a slight recovery (+62 thousand; +1.3%).
The numbers
The South had the most significant increases in employment. Compared to 2019, Puglia recorded +77 thousand hirings, then Liguria (+31 thousand) and Sicily (+69 thousand) both with +5.2%, Campania +3.6% (+58 thousand) and Basilicata with + 3.5% (+7 thousand). At the provincial level, Lecce leads the way in growth (+16.5%; +36,500). Then Benevento (+12.4%; +10 thousand) and Enna (+11.2%; +4,800). Bari’s performance was also good. However, not all of Southern Italy has positive results. Among the last places in the provincial ranking are Southern Sardinia (-4,900) and Syracuse (-5,000), with -4.3%, Caltanissetta (-5.2%;-3,400), Sassari (-6.8%;- 12,600) and last Fermo (-7.9%; -6 thousand).
The number of people employed in Puglia is therefore increasing but the types of contracts are multiplying. «From legislative decree 276/2003 onwards – explains data analyst Davide Stasi (speaker today at Acquarica–Presicce at the “First of May of community” meeting) – the system has done nothing other than produce new contractual forms with consequent difficulties of interpretation or applications. But above all it has accentuated the tendency towards fragmentation and segmentation of the labor market.” In this context, it may be useful to “probe” the characteristics and innovations emerging from the labor market to verify whether and to what extent it is necessary to add new contractual types or modify existing ones. «In essence, in addition to repressing or discouraging those phenomena of market segmentation that express an elusive desire, – concludes Stasi – it would be necessary to create different legal disciplines, which take into account the specialization function that the contractual types must perform».
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