ROME (ITALPRESS) – The general picture of young people is not comforting: the progressive aging of the population, caused by the increase in life expectancy and the reduction in the fertility rate, the difficulties or renunciation of the younger generation to find stable and well-paid work, the low rate of access to university education and the challenges related to the creation of a new family unit lead to a real “youth question.” This is what emerges from the XXIIIrd annual report of the Inps, presented by the president, Gabriele Fava, in the presence of the head of state, Sergio Mattarella. “For more than a century, the Institute has represented a point of reference for Italians. Over the years, with the incorporation of other social security agencies and the consequent transfer of functions, Inps has seen a constant expansion of its competencies, particularly in the welfare sector and in family support. This process has progressively transformed Inps into the main pillar of Italian welfare, consolidating its role as a ‘social protectionè body and becoming the true institutional partner that accompanies people throughout the life cycle,” Fava stressed. The report shows that in 2023 the number of pensioners has remained substantially stable, at around 16 million, with an expenditure of just under 347 billion. However, the current demographic scenario, characterized by an increase in the average age of the population, a decline in fertility and a reduction in the working-age population, not offset by immigration, is leading to a worsening ratio of retirees to taxpayers. Compared to 2022, the average gross monthly pension amount has increased by 7.1 percent, partly due to equalization. “One of the objectives of the new governance of the Inps, from a pension education perspective, will be to ‘engage’ the younger generations, including those who are out of the labor market or do not have stable employment, on the pension issue, and help them in building their own pension piggy bank, first of all by better informing and training starting from schools and universities. That of promoting pension culture,” Fava stressed, “is one of the most important challenges we have given ourselves with the new board, to increase awareness in the younger generations that tomorrow’s pension is built with today’s work. The highest average pension amounts are in the North and Lazio, while the lowest are in Calabria and the rest of the South. Ninety-six percent of Italian pensioners receive at least one benefit from the Inps, with more than half of the spending going to retirement or early retirement pensions. Welfare benefits account for 8 percent of the total. In 2023, new welfare benefits decreased by 4.7 percent, mainly due to the reduction in early retirement (-15.5 percent) linked to the tightening of Quota 100 requirements. In contrast, welfare benefits increased by 5.7 percent. Northern regions (excluding Liguria) and Tuscany benefited the most from new welfare pensions. Welfare benefits, such as civil disabilities, are predominant in Campania, Puglia, Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia. “Overall, today, the Inps serves more than 52 million users, through the provision of more than 400 social welfare and social security benefits, making it one of the largest and most articulated public infrastructures in Europe: thanks to the daily commitment of 26,000 employees, who work in more than 600 offices located throughout the country,” Fava added. “It is in the labor market that the Institute performs another fundamental function: workers represent, in fact, its main users, so much so that in 2023 the record number of 26.6 million insured was recorded. The increase in the number of insured members, which continues into the first months of 2024, is mainly supported by the increase in employees, which reached 21.8 million (1.2 million more than in 2019). This positive trend is a clear sign of the growth and stabilization of employment, which is also confirmed by the increase in employment intensity, measured by the average number of weeks worked.” Great attention in the president’s report also focused on the demographic issue: in 2050 citizens aged 65 and older could represent up to 35 percent of the national population, which determines the need to rethink the current welfare system. “We need to be aware that the elderly, the ‘differently young,’ as I prefer to call them, represent a great resource of our society. An obvious example is the role played by grandparents who support families and take care of grandchildren,” he concluded.(ITALPRESS).-Photo: xc3/Italpress-
