«We are satisfied with a commitment made a few months ago with the trade associations – underlines the interim president of the Liguria Region Alessandro Piana – After the pact for work in tourism, the first signed in Italy and of which we were the precursors at a national level, today we are signing another agreement on trade and craftsmanship, a pact that through credit guarantees, fully resources lost and support for hiring to support the small shop and small owner sector will provide important support to these sectors. Categories that are the beating heart of our cities but above all of our hinterland and which must be helped in every way.”
«On the basis of the consensus obtained with the Labor Pact in Tourism, we have decided to similarly launch the Labor Pact in Commerce which is an absolute novelty in Italy: Liguria is in fact the first region to implement it and this makes us very proud – declares councilor Sartori – Thanks to the resources of the European Social Fund we will be able to offer concrete support to businesses and workers, helping to create stable, quality jobs. It is a strong signal of our commitment to the economic and social relaunch of the region. Also in this case, as was the case for tourism, the company receives the bonus when it signs a contract with the longest duration possible. The focus was placed on the internal areas of the region, the most fragile where the presence of a commercial business can function as a safeguard for the area capable of triggering a positive virtuous circle”.
At the press conference to present the pact, in addition to the competent councilors, representatives of the trade union organizations and employers’ bodies attended. The pact provides various incentive measures for trade and craft businesses, with particular attention to the realities of the Ligurian hinterland. The actions include hiring bonuses for the stabilization and extension of employment contracts of employees, in order to create greater and more lasting employment.
The bonuses are funded with community resources that can be used to improve access to employment for workers and support businesses operating in underserved areas of the region. The objective is to encourage permanent employment contracts and extend the duration of fixed-term contracts, offering concrete support for the development of the local economic system.
All those companies established in the form of micro and small businesses or in cooperative form, or business networks for hiring starting from 1 June 2024, will be able to apply for the hiring bonus.
There are 4 lines of benefit: being a company within a non-coastal municipality that hires workers by applying the national collective labor agreement.
– Be a business in a non-coastal municipality with under 1000 inhabitants and stipulate a permanent or fixed-term employment contract lasting 4 months or more and, if part time, which requires an hourly commitment of at least 24 hours weekly hours. In this case bonuses can range from 2500 euros up to 12,000 euros based on the type of hiring.
– Be a company in non-coastal municipalities with a population of between 1,000 and 2,000 inhabitants and stipulate a permanent or fixed-term employment contract lasting more than 6 months or part time which provides for an hourly commitment of at least 24 hours. In this case the bonus can vary from 5,000 to 12,000 euros.
– Be a company based in non-coastal municipalities with more than 2,000 inhabitants and stipulate a permanent or fixed-term employment contract lasting 8 months or more and, if part time, which includes an hourly commitment of at least 24 hours weekly hours. In this case the bonus can vary from 8,000 to 12,000 euros.
– Incentives are also provided for companies joined together in a consortium for the enhancement of quality trade or for all those companies that are in possession of one of the following brands: “Artigiani di Liguria”, “Botteghe Storiche”, “Bottega Ligure” and that hire a permanent or fixed-term worker for at least 8 months. In this case the bonus can vary from 4,000 to 8,000 euros.
«Crafts and trade are two indispensable legs of the regional economy: not only because they are sectors that have their roots in our history, but because they still represent more than 80% of our businesses. It is therefore important to support them both with instruments dedicated to access to subsidized credit, such as the ‘Craft Guarantee’ and ‘Cassa Commercio’, but also with employment incentives – said the councilor for economic development Alessio Piana – The Labor Pact in Crafts and commerce was created precisely to give a further positive impulse to these two areas, valorising in particular the civ, the inland and quality activities. I thank, in addition to my colleagues in the council, employers’ and trade unions’ associations for sharing this important path with us.”
«Supporting small and medium-sized businesses means investing in the social fabric of our region – explains the regional councilor for training and community programs Marco Scajola – The people and companies recipients of the measures included in the pact signed today will be able, in addition to having their own irrefutable benefit, making a significant contribution to the collective well-being and sustainable growth of our territory.
Through the resources of the European Social Fund we are bringing labor supply and demand considerably closer to the concrete benefit of both parties. In fact, there are several calls for tenders activated in this sense, from continuous training to that reserved for apprentices, passing through ‘Train to employ’ and ‘Match Point’ to arrive at the ‘Economy, sea and tourism plan’, to these we add a further support deriving from the pact. I also want to underline the particular attention paid by this intervention to the hinterland.
Our administration considers this part of the territory as a resource, not only to be preserved, but also and above all to be enhanced. Through the regional urban regeneration program we are improving the liveability and attractiveness of the Ligurian villages, with the strategy of the internal areas we are bringing various events related to the world of training and now, thanks to this act, we will offer new job opportunities”.
After several years of testing the employment pact on tourism and the positive results obtained, the Liguria Region wanted to start a similar experience in the trade and craft sector, approving a protocol resulting from the discussions with the unions and the signatory employers’ associations with the aim of encouraging the hiring of stable workers, through hiring bonuses for those who hire on a permanent basis or those who convert employment contracts from fixed-term to permanent or in any case those who guarantee a certain number of months of contract .
Attached are the ateco codes of the planned economic activities and the list of non-coastal Ligurian municipalities affected by the measure.
