Finding a Job in Italy (Working in Italy)

Introduction

All EU nationals are entitled to work in Italy. There are growing opportunities in all industries especially in tourism (Horeca staff/ entertainer, all year round, but even more so in Summer and Winter), health sector (nurses), construction & building sector (building construction laborers, carpenters), agriculture, catering, advanced technology, chemicals and commerce.
In the majority of the cases, knowledge of the Italian language is a pre-requisite to find work in Italy. In order to improve your Italian language skills, you may want to attend courses in a Italian Cultural Institute close to your area of residence.

Before leaving your home country

- Consult your national newspapers for job adverts from Italy or Italian companies;

- Look up the European Employment Services, EURES, a database offering all kinds of jobs all over Europe. You can also get in touch with a Eures advisor.

- The Chamber of Commerce for Italy of your country. The British Chamber of Commerce publishes lists of British companies with associates in Italy.

- Apply at the CIF for an exhange program for human service workers.

- Check the following websites:

When arriving in Italy

If you have already found a job, you must take a Permesso di Soggiorno to the police station, la questura.

If not:
- Have a look at the job section, Offerte di Lavoro, of major Italian newspapers:

and any of the regional newspapaer of your region.

- Most major Italian cities have a list of English-language publications where ads are placed by both Italian and international companies.

- Consider registering with a job centre in the area where you are living. Look on the website of the Ministero del Lavoro, della Salute e delle Politiche Sociali (Ministry of Work, Health and Social Policies) to find the Centro per l'impiego (Job Centre) nearest to your home. - Contact private job agencies. More than 700 are currently authorised by the Ministry of Employment. Most international job-centres have opened in Italian cities, too.

Working Conditions

- Medium Salary is 22 053 € per year
- employees generally work a total of 40 hours per week
- Night shifts usually go from midnight to 7am
- Minimum annual leave is 4 weeks (20 days)
- Break: 30-60min

Types of Employment Contracts

The minimum age for employment in Italy is 15. An employment contract is compulsory by law. There are three main types of contract:

- Permanent and temporary subordinate employment contracts with obligatory working hours, workplace and duties. This type may be extended once only.
- Extendable employment contracts, flexible forms of temporary employment, with flexible working hours and workplace but the obligation to be coordinated by the employer.
- Freelance employment contracts for professionals, consultants and professional activities, including manual trades, with full autonomy over working hours and methods.

The above contractual forms are open to all professional grades. The employment contract may only be amended to improve the worker's conditions, with his or her consent. If the place of employment is changed so that it is more than 50 km away, the employer must give well-founded reasons. Consult the EURES website for more information.

Social Security and Insurance

Italian law requires people to be in employment before a welfare relationship may be established.

The employer is then obliged to pay contributions and deduct the amounts that must be paid in by the employer.

The INPS (Istituto Nazionale di Previdenza Sociale [National Social Security Institute]) is the national Welfare institute responsible for social security and welfare benefits. Social security benefits are determined on the basis of compulsory insurance payments that are funded by the collection of contributions (old age pension, pension for seniority, survivor's pension, disability allowance, pension for the unskilled, pension agreed by international convention for work performed abroad).

Welfare benefits are designed to supplement income: unemployment, sickness, maternity, cassa integrazione [workers' benefit fund], severance payment and family allowance. INPS offices are located everywhere in Italy and contain a contact centre for general information on legal matters and individual cases. The telephone number of the combined INPS INAIL contact centre is 803164.

For employees, the employer must complete all the formalities required to register with the welfare department. The workers' contributions are deducted from the gross wage. Self-employed workers must register and pay contributions to a separate social security fund (known as a CASSA) or directly to the INPS.

The National Institute for Insurance against Occupational Accidents and Diseases (INAIL) offers protection against occupational accidents and diseases. Italian law obliges employers to ensure workers against the risk of possible occupational accidents or diseases caused while performing their working activities. (Source: Eures)