«The first measures in terms of employment seem to be going in the right direction. We particularly appreciate the opening to a simplification for the use of fixed-term contracts and therefore for fixed-term administration, overcoming constraints that benefit no one. At the same time, the limit for missions to the same company for workers hired on permanent contracts by employment agencies has in the past introduced a problem that did not exist and is at times surreal. We are talking about over 120,000 temporary workers, hired on permanent contracts by the agencies». Francesco Baroni (CEO of Gi group) arrives at the helm of Assolavoro, the Confindustria association that represents employment agencies and, on the sidelines of the private meeting, represents a positive climate in the relationship with the Government and the Minister of Labor Marina Calderone who “deeply knows the complexity, criticalities and needs of the sector and what has emerged so far is a good omen also in terms of method and enhancement of the role of intermediate bodies”.
For the new president «it is essential to focus on skills, especially in the European year dedicated to this important lever for competitiveness and taking into account the enormous opportunities that present themselves with the PNRR. Employment Agencies have always been at the forefront of creating, updating and integrating skills in close contact with the world of work and are ready to make their know-how available for more ambitious challenges involving the entire country system ».
The market trend shows signs of dynamism, although it is evident that «uncertainty reigns and will reign supreme also in the medium term. However, Italy’s production system has shown that it has the characteristics to continue to compete and grow also and above all thanks to the value and quality of our human capital, so I am quite optimistic about the outlook for the coming months”. With particular reference to the sectors in which the agencies are present, the Assolavoro meeting revealed that the market is sending positive signals «and, although the rebound after Covid has been unique, it is very probable that the sector will continue to grow even in short term and this growth is, in any case, based on the value we know how to generate – explains Baroni -.
The search and selection market will also continue to grow in the light of the growing difficulty in finding candidates which will only worsen in the future due to the unfortunately now structural demographic decline that distinguishes us, the ecological and digital transition and the strong disconnect between the world of work and the school”. Services will also grow, which from being accessories will increasingly become essential, from training to active policies, assessment, organizational consultancy and outsourcing.
The mandate of the new president will be characterized above all by «the positioning of the sector from both a qualitative and quantitative point of view. The perception of our role must go from intermediaries to enablers of knowledge, skills, training, welfare, integrated service solutions, specialization. Furthermore, it is necessary to continue to develop the conditions for the growth of our level of market penetration by leveraging our ability to make the difference between good flexibility and bad flexibility», continues Baroni. On this element, the agencies are convinced that «there may be the conditions to contribute decisively to increasing the value of the temporary agency contract as a response capable of distinguishing itself for the tools that allow flexibility to be managed without ever losing sight of the centrality of the worker ». At the same time the commitment will continue «on the issues of the Assolavoro Manifesto, defined with the support of all the associated agencies and shared with the Institutions – says Baroni – among which I would like to mention: the methods of using the resources of the PNRR and the collaboration with the Public Administration, the fight against illegal forms of work and avoidance and distortions; the centrality of active policies in a logic of public-private collaboration and the development of an ever-increasing dialogue between the world of education and the productive fabric thanks also to the orientation and boost to professional training and specialist tertiary training».