Inclusion policies

Labour, Neet emergency in Italy: here is the plan to reactivate them

MIM-University-Labour and Inps protocol to foster data exchange for more targeted recruitment and training. From the pre-filled CV to the feeding of the Social and Labour File. Youth Portal, more than a million accesses in a few weeks.

by Claudio Tucci

1 November 2025

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The Italian labour market needs to catch up with the Neet, i.e. young people who do not study, do not work and are not in training. To start doing this, the Ministries of Labour, Education and Merit, and University, together with Inps, have signed a memorandum of understanding that, for the first time, sanctions the interoperability of their respective information systems to strengthen social and labour inclusion policies, with particular attention to young Neet.

The Protocol

Thanks to the structured and secure exchange of data, it will be possible:

- identify and take charge of Neet. The exchange of data will make it possible to identify the potential audience and to propose, by the Ministry of Labour and INPS, targeted active policy initiatives, differentiated by target and measured on impacts (job placement, duration, stability and quality of employment).

- design training that is more closely related to work. The Ministries of Education and Merit and of Universities and Research will be able to refine the educational, tertiary and post-graduate offerings through the availability of information on the job outlets and career developments of graduates in relation to the paths taken.

- propose more effective public services. In fact, the protocol strengthens the capacity of the public administration to operate in a data-driven logic, favouring timely, transparent and evidence-based decisions.

Il nuovo patto tra lavoro e formazione

The Neet Emergency

With cradles increasingly empty, Italy needs to avoid wasting talent. The situation of young Neet is emblematic. We are talking about an enormous potential labour force: there are about 1.4 million young people between the ages of 15 and 29 who are not studying, not working and not involved in training courses. In 2024, the latest ISTAT snapshot from last May, the phenomenon involved 15.2% of young people; a quota that has fallen by 7 percentage points in the last five years, but remains above the European average value (+4.2 points), second only to Romania. In Southern Italy the incidence of young Neet reaches 23.3%, against 9.8% in the North and 12.9% in the Centre.

Cv and social and employment file

The protocol, which is part of the NRP's reforms and investments, also provides for the pre-compilation of CVs and the feeding of the Social and Labour File, key tools to facilitate the matching of labour supply and demand. Interoperability will take place in full compliance with personal data protection legislation, according to the principles of minimisation, finalisation and security by design and by default.

Offering opportunities

"This is a concrete breakthrough," said Marina Calderone, the Minister of Labour, "We can intercept young people who risk being left on the sidelines and offer them training and professional opportunities consistent with the real needs of the market. Digitalisation is not just a means, but a strategy to make training more effective and work more accessible.

"The sharing of data between administrations will make it possible to make the training offer more adherent to the real needs of the labour market, enhancing the talents of each individual," added the Minister for Education and Merit, Giuseppe Valditara. "Reducing the mismatch between labour supply and demand is not just a question of generational justice: it is a strategic challenge for the competitiveness of the country," continued the Minister for Universities and Research, Anna Maria Bernini. "We must build training courses that are increasingly adherent to the reality of production, where data help us to understand where to go and how to invest.

The role of the Inps

"The interoperability of information systems makes it possible to better understand the needs of citizens and to offer more timely, personalised and effective responses,' said Inps president Gabriele Fava. 'This is an approach that Inps has already initiated with the Portale Giovani, the first public digital space dedicated to under-35s, where more than 50 services have been integrated into a single platform. In just a few months since its launch, more than a million authenticated accesses confirm that the direction is the right one: a public administration capable of listening, anticipating, and acting. The challenge now is to continue to transform data into social value, because behind every number there are people, paths, and a future.