Covid, “over 10 million Italians at risk of poverty”

by time news

Over 10.4 million Italians are at risk of poverty: between 4 million unemployed and 6.3 million employed but in unstable or economically weak situations, the number of Italians who can’t make it, in full Covid emergency, is very large and growing. The figure, calculated by the Unimpresa Study Center, refers to the end of 2020 and counts over 1.2 million more subjects than a similar survey for 2015, with a significant growth of 13%.


The economic crisis triggered by the health emergency has therefore contributed to extending the perimeter of people in difficulty with an even wider area of ​​hardship: to the 4.1 million unemployed people, we must first add fixed-term employment contracts. , both part-time (776 thousand people) and full-time (1.9 million); part-time self-employed workers (711 thousand), collaborators (225 thousand) and part-time permanent contracts (2.7 million) must also be considered.

This group of employed people – but with uncertain prospects regarding the stability of employment or with low wages – totals 6.3 million units: in precarious or economically weak conditions, they contribute to extending the number of Italians in crisis, who live on the edge of the abyss, ever closer to poverty.

“To prevent this area of ​​social hardship from growing even more, we need to go well beyond those 32 billion euros allocated with the Sostegni decree, which are not enough, and this is what Mario Draghi’s government must understand quickly: our feeling is that, despite the undisputed competence of the figures called to hold the highest positions in this executive, there is not the necessary contact with reality “, comments the vice president of Unimpresa, Salvo Politino.

“There is a time factor that is fundamental: the budget variance was approved in December, the decree that allocates those funds is dated March 19 and the first transfers, the government assures, should arrive around mid-April. It means beyond 100 days for an aid package which, in any case, only partially responds to the dramatic needs we are facing “, adds the vice president of Unimpresa, according to whom” it is necessary to put companies in a position to retain workers and return to growth for assume, only in this way we will no longer have poor people in our country “.

According to the Association’s Study Center, which processed Istat data for 2020, the area of ​​social hardship in Italy includes 10 million and 406 thousand people. The figure is higher than that of a similar revelation in 2015, when the total number of Italians in difficulty stood at 9.2 million. More in detail, these are 4 million and 8 thousand unemployed to which must be added 6 million and 398 thousand employed in critical situations.

As for 4 million and 8 thousand unemployed, the formerly employed are 1 million and 127 thousand, the former inactive 571 thousand, those without work experience 2 million and 310 thousand. As for the 6 million and 398 thousand employed persons considered in precarious or economically weak conditions, these are 776 thousand subjects with part-time fixed-term employment contracts, 1 million and 955 thousand people with full-time fixed-term contracts, 2 million and 731 thousand employees with involuntary part-time permanent contracts, 225 thousand subjects with simple collaboration contracts and 711 thousand self-employed part-time.

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