Over six months, the number of people on temporary lay-off schemes has fallen by 17.5 per cent, but there have been more business closures due to the economic crisis
According to Lavoro&Welfare, 250.7 million hours of short-time working were authorised between January and June; CIGS orders for the cessation of business due to structural difficulties in the production system rose by 36.2 per cent
Key points
In the first half of 2026, INPS authorised over 250 million hours of short-time working (250.7 million hours to be precise), representing a 17.55 per cent reduction compared with January–June 2025; of these, over 100 million relate to the mechanical engineering sector alone. Of note is the increase in applications for both extraordinary redundancy payments (CIGS) due to company closures (203, representing a rise of 36.24% compared with 2025) and exceptional redundancy payments (CIGD, up 25.11%), all of which were concentrated in the retail sector. Furthermore, in June, there were signs of a recovery in demand, with 50.6 million hours of Cig, up on the previous month (+44.57 per cent) and on June 2025 (+10.05 per cent),
Demand for emergency cash exceeds that for ordinary cash
An analysis of INPS data by the ‘Lavoro & Welfare’ association, chaired by Cesare Damiano and carried out by Giancarlo Battistelli, highlights how, in the first half of the year, the increase in hours under the CIGS scheme is becoming more pronounced compared to those under the ordinary redundancy fund (CIGO), a sign that ‘the structural nature of the crisis continues to weigh more heavily on the manufacturing sector than its temporary nature, linked to market difficulties or resulting from weather events’.
Looking at the individual categories, in June 2026, applications for Cigo totalled 21.4 million hours, an increase compared with the previous month (+23.56%) and compared with June 2025 (+60.90%). In the first half of the year, Cigo claims totalled 115.2 million hours, down on 2025 (-30.03%). Demand for Cigs hours in June 2026, at 27.4 million hours, rose compared with the previous month (+61.11%) and also compared with June 2025 (+60.90%). In the first six months of 2026, compared with the same period in 2025, CIGS usage, at 127.5 million hours, fell (-3.20%). For Cigd in June 2026, at 509,000 hours, demand rose compared with the previous month (+100%) and compared with June 2025 (+100%). In the first half of 2026, compared with 2025, CIGD claims, at 557,000 hours, increased (+25.11%). Demand for Solidarity Funds also increased in June, totalling 1.3 million hours, up on the previous month (+89.23%), whilst it decreased compared with June 2025 (-35.87%). In the first six months of 2026, compared with 2025, demand for the FIS rose again (+2.54%), reaching nearly 7.5 million hours.
The mechanical engineering sector has the highest number of hours on the Cig scheme
In the first six months of 2026, the sector with the highest number of Cig hours was the mechanical engineering sector, with over 100 million hours (-24.90 per cent). This was followed by the metallurgical sector with over 30 million hours (+11.42 per cent), the construction sector with over 14 million hours (+20.48 per cent), the chemical sector with over 13 million hours (-28.47 per cent), the Leather sector with over 12 million hours (-23.04 per cent), the Retail sector with over 11 million hours (+1.06 per cent), the wood sector with over 11 million hours (+23.85 per cent) and the textile sector with over 9 million hours (-34.79 per cent).
The regions with the highest number of Cig hours are Lombardy with 49 million hours (-13.94%), Veneto with 31.1 million hours (-18.74%), Piedmont with 27.1 million hours (-30.25%), Puglia with 25.4 million hours (+50.18%), Emilia-Romagna with 23.4 million hours (-31.31 per cent) and Tuscany with 17.5 million hours (-20.74 per cent).
