Italy: Short-time work and lay-offs doubled during 2008

Statistics published in January 2009 indicate that the use of the public fund that pays benefits to employees temporarily laid off or short-time working due to production cutbacks nearly doubled in 2008, as the economic downturn deepened.

Italy’s system of “social shock absorbers” consists of a number of measures to cushion the effects of redundancies and restructuring, including special unemployment benefits and other forms of income support for workers who have lost their jobs or are laid off temporarily.