Ministry of Labour and Social Policies of Italy

The Ministry of Labour and Social Policies of Italy designs, implements and coordinates measures for labour policy and the development of employment, the protection of labour and the adequacy of the social-security system and social policies, with particular regard to prevention and reduction of conditions of need and adversity among individuals and households. Some of the Ministry’s main areas of responsibility are: verification of employment relationships and industrial relations; application and monitoring of the implementation of legislation concerning health and safety in the workplace; preliminary review for the performance of the guidance functions of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies with regard to active labour policies and policies concerning the National Network of Labour Policy Services; the definition of the rules for redundancy programmes, wage supplementation benefits, social employment insurance, unemployment and redundancy benefits and the related contribution aspects; implementation of social-security and insurance policies; high-level supervision and guidance regarding supplementary pension schemes; policies for the fight against poverty and for social planning; integration and immigration policies; planning of flows, management and monitoring of entry quotas for foreign workers and bilateral cooperation with the countries of origin; and promotion and support of activities carried out by third sector entities and those in favour of social companies.

In the Skills Alliance for Ukraine, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies of Italy is represented with two projects:

• PUOI PLUS, Project for the socio-work inclusion of vulnerable migrants (new edition): The project addresses categories of migrants who, due to vulnerabilities related to their status, the reasons that drove them to leave their countries, and the traumatic experiences they have undergone, encounter greater obstacles in accessing the labour market. It is focused on active labour policy paths implemented by public and private operators in the labour market. The paths provide access to a series of integrated services for socio-work inclusion (which include, among others, tutoring, orientation and job search support services, assessment and skills certification) and to a 6-month extracurricular internship at a host company. The second edition was launched in June 2022 and started about a thousand new paths, and it is in this one edition which, in light of the Ukrainian Emergency, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies has expanded the audience of recipients also to holders of temporary protection. In this second phase of the PUOI project, which has involved 1,042 vulnerable migrants, applicants and holders of international protection and permits stay issued in special cases, for special and temporary protection and former unaccompanied minors. Of the total recipients, 169 (equal to 16%) are Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war, applicants or holders of temporary protection. The involvement of Ukrainian citizens represents a novelty in the experience of PUOI, since in the previous phase there were just 13 people of this nationality. The new edition, currently being approved, also includes temporary protection holders among its targets with express reference to the case of the Ukrainian population.

• “Garanzia Occupabilità Lavoratori”, (GOL) Program: The GOL Program offers active policy paths customized to the different needs of the intercepted users.In the context of the GOL Program, “Pathway 4 – Work and Inclusion” includes a series of interventions aimed at supporting the reintegration into the workforce of individuals who are more distanced from the labour market. This is achieved through synergistic and multidisciplinary actions, tailored and personalized to individual needs. For these users, active labour market policies alone are not sufficient to improve their employability, as there are various obstacles and vulnerabilities of a personal, family, or socioeconomic nature, among others. In these cases, it will be necessary to initiate a work and inclusion pathway that relies on collaboration with the network of local services, such as educational, social, health, and work-life balance services. As part of its target groups, the GOL Program allocates resources for 1,000 Ukrainian beneficiaries who hold temporary protection.

As of May 2025, 893 beneficiaries had been trained under GOL.