With Labour Day around the corner, the Italian cabinet has cleared a Decreto Lavoro that tightens rules on on-line labour intermediation—dubbed “caporalato digitale”—and introduces fiscal incentives for companies that implement collectively bargained minimum pay scales. The text, approved on 28 April, also extends hiring bonuses for under-30s and women and earmarks additional inspectors to police undeclared work in logistics and agriculture. For mobility professionals the key point is Article 8, which makes digital platforms jointly liable with foreign staffing agencies for wage arrears and social-security contributions owed to posted workers. Multinationals that outsource warehouse or last-mile operations to cross-border subcontractors will need to verify that intermediaries are registered in Italy’s new digital intermediation roster and comply with EU posting-of-workers documentation. The decree dovetails with the freshly approved Decreto Flussi by signalling that legal migration must be matched by stronger enforcement against exploitation. Employers found using irregular intermediaries risk closure for up to 30 days and fines of €3,000 per worker. On the positive side, companies that sign up to sectoral collective agreements and pay at least €9.50 per hour will receive a 5-point cut in social-security contributions for 12 months on new hires, including non-EU nationals converting seasonal permits. HR teams should therefore run cost simulations: in some cases hiring directly and claiming the subsidy may prove cheaper than relying on a staffing app that now bears extra compliance duties. The decree takes effect upon publication in the Official Gazette—expected by 30 April—but must be converted into law within 60 days. Legal teams should monitor implementing circulars from INPS (social security) and the Labour Inspectorate to clarify documentation for posted workers supplied by foreign temp agencies.
Source: ANSA
