Italy is going through significant political, social and legal
changes at the moment. As employment lawyers, we are seeing
first-hand how these changes impact employers and their Italian
workforce. Italy is a work in progress and the end product will
hopefully be worthy of the prestigious label "Made in
Italy".
The Jobs Act: making the Italian labour market more
flexible
The Jobs Act (the name was taken from Obama's American Jobs
Act 2011) is designed to simplify existing employment law in Italy
and to encourage employers to hire new staff.
What changes are being introduced?
Historically, the legislation provided that if the court made a
finding of unfair or wrongful dismissal, the sole remedy was
reinstatement. Now the goal posts are shifting, and the remedy of
reinstatement will practically disappear and be replaced by an
award of damages which will be calculated on the basis of length of
service.
