Unicef report on child labour in Italy, over 78,000 under-17s employed in 2023

Today, on the occasion of the World Day against Child Labour Exploitation, Unicef Italy presents the 2nd Statistical Report "Child labour in Italy: risks, injuries and safety in the workplace". In 2023 there will be 78,530 child workers 15-17 years old (4.5% of the total population of minors in that age group), up from 69,601 in 2022 and 51,845 in 2021. If, on the other hand, the age group under 19 is considered, there were 376,814 workers in 2022, up from 310,400 in 2021. The increase in underage workers is evident not only in comparison with the pandemic phase, but also in comparison with the year 2019.

The estimated average weekly income for male workers ranges from EUR 297 in 2018 to EUR 320 in 2022, while for women it rises from EUR 235 in 2018 to EUR 259 in 2022. Consistently higher earnings for the male gender are confirmed.

In the period between 2018 and 2022, the accident reports submitted to Inail at the national level, relating to workers under 19 years of age, amounted to 338,323 of which: 211,241 for children up to 14 years of age and 127,082 in the 15-19 age bracket. Fatal injury claims totalled 83 in the period between 2018 and 2022 (9 claims in the age group <14; 74 claims in the 15-19 age group). The report examines data on child labour and work-related injuries in Italy over the five-year period 2018-2022, distributed by age, region and gender, and was produced on the basis of data processed from reports and databases on national portals of Inail, Inps and Istat. The Report - produced as part of the activities of the Unicef Observatory for the prevention of health damage caused by child labour - coordinated by Domenico Della Porta - was edited by the "Laboratory of Public Health for the analysis of Community Health Needs" of the Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry "Medical School of Salerno" - University of Salerno. "Child labour is an issue to be observed carefully," emphasised Carmela Pace, President of Unicef Italy, "because it is a telltale sign of the state of health of our society and of the well-being and future of young people in our country.