Solicitud directa (CEACR) - Adopción: 2025, Publicación: 114ª reunión CIT (2026)

Convenio sobre las agencias de empleo privadas, 1997 (núm. 181) - Italia (Ratificación : 2000)

The Committee notes the observations of the Italian Confederation of Managers and Other Professionals (CIDA), communicated with the Government’s report. The Committee requests the Government to provide its comments in this regard.

Articles 11 and 12 of the Convention. Protection for workers employed by private employment agencies. Application of the Convention in practice. The Committee notes the detailed information provided on the application of the Convention. It also notes Government’s assessment that the labour supply sector in Italy is internationally regarded as a recognized good practice both in terms of the protections afforded to workers and its advanced social protection system. The Government indicates that legal provisions ensure that agency workers enjoy the same rights as those afforded to other employees, with employment agencies tasked with ensuring protections. Support measure, such as maternity leave assistance and contributions towards childcare, are provided through Ebitemp, a national bilateral employer–worker organization for temporary employment. Ebitemp offers a range of assistance, including one-time or monthly hardship contributions, reimbursements and subsidies for healthcare expenses, small personal loans, and transfer grants. Support is also provided for childcare centres, maternity provisions, injury benefits, healthcare protection, favourable loans and territorial mobility. Benefits extend to spouses and dependants. With regard to training, workers engaged through employment agencies can participate in training programmes provided by the Forma.Temp Fund, pursuant to Legislative Decree No. 276/2003. Forma.Temp is the Fund for training and income support specifically for temporary agency workers, funded by contributions from employment agencies amounting to 4 per cent of the gross wages paid to agency workers. Established in 2000, the Fund is managed by representative associations of employment agencies, workers’ organizations representing temporary agency workers, and three major trade union confederations. The Agency for Active Labour Policies (ANPAL) has undertaken monitoring activities to ensure the regularity of contributions from employment agencies. All employment agency organizes are responsible for organizing free training courses for their agency workers through Forma.Temp. For example, despite challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 Forma.Temp financed more than 1.6 million hours of training, facilitated by digitalization efforts that enabled remote training for agency workers. With regard to statistical data on workers covered by measures implementing the Convention, the Government provided information on the number of workers commencing and ending temporary agency contracts. From the data provided, the Committee notes there were 12,573,000 employment relationships initiated in 2022, reflecting a 10.9 per cent increase compared to the previous year. These activations involved 7,076,000 workers. Additionally, the number of transformations from fixed-term contracts to open-ended contracts reached 716,000 in 2022, exceeding the annual total observed in the pre-pandemic period and representing a 34.8 per cent increase compared to the previous year. While welcoming the detailed statistical information provided, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that, currently, no statistical data are available concerning violations related to the activities of private employment agencies. The Committee recalls the 2023 conclusions of the Conference Committee on the Application of Standards (CAS) on the application of the Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81), and the Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129), in particular those related to improving the collection of disaggregated labour inspection data, including by establishing an integrated database in coordination with the different agencies and bodies performing labour inspection duties. It also refers to its most recent comments on the application of Conventions Nos 81 and 129. The Committee asks the Government to intensify efforts to guarantee the practical enforcement of protections for agency workers, including equal treatment, social security, training, and occupational safety. It requests the Government to compile and communicate comprehensive, disaggregated data on inspections, violations, and outcomes, as well as updates on the creation of an integrated labour inspection database. Furthermore, the Committee asks the Government to report on steps taken, in consultation with social partners, to ensure improved monitoring, prompt remedy for violations, and the effective safeguarding of all agency workers’ rights under the Convention.

Article 13. Cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that its priority remains the promotion of quality employment across Italy, mainly through facilitating job matching, lifelong training, and reintegration initiatives into the labour market targeted particularly at women and young people. To achieve this, efforts have been launched to modernize and strengthen public employment centres. There is also an intention to facilitate cooperation between public employment centres and private employment agencies through the development of a new platform and an integrated information system for employment. The Ministry of Labour and Social Policies emphasizes ongoing initiatives aimed at guiding, training and reshape active labour policies, with a focus on integrated labour market stakeholder engagement. These initiatives are part of a boarder strategy to improve governance overactive labour market policies and the matching of labour supply and demand. The Committee notes that, in its observations, CIDA highlights the importance of fostering complementarity between public employment services and private employment agencies, especially for categories such as managers and high-level professionals for whom traditional employment centres might not be suitable. CIDA adds that these professionals require dedicated outplacement services, and that public and private employment services must work in an integrated and complementary manner to increase employment opportunities for such workers. The Committee asks the Government to indicate the efforts undertaken to foster robust, effective cooperation between public employment services and private employment agencies, including through the development of integrated digital platforms and information systems. It requests regular, specific data on the practical outcomes and impact of these initiatives, with a focus on improving job matching, training, and reintegration for priority groups such as women, youth, managers, and high-level professionals. The Committee also calls on the Government to ensure transparent collaboration and ongoing evaluation with all labour market stakeholders, promoting complementarity and increased employment opportunities for all jobseekers.