The EU will invest EUR 14.8 billion in ESF+ funds in Italy for social inclusion measures and active labour market and training measures to boost youth employment under the Youth Guarantee.  

To address the skills shortages and increase the flexibility of the labour market, Italy will invest in up-skilling and re-skilling of workers, and in empowering people for the green and digital transition.. Substantive efforts will be undertaken to help the most deprived, in particular, to lift children out of poverty, in line with the European Child Guarantee. 

Funding will also address the gender gap in the employment rate – which is the highest in the EU – by supporting female entrepreneurship, facilitating access to conciliation services, encouraging greater involvement of men in care duties, and promoting innovative corporate welfare solutions. 

Italy is committed to using these investments to achieve its EU’s 2030 social targets for raising the national employment rate to 73%, adult participation in education to 60% and reducing the number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion by nearly 3.2 million people. 

The ESF+ in Italy is implemented by 6 national and 21 regional programmes, with one other programme implemented through the Just Transition Fund (JTF).