Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2025, published 114th ILC session (2026)

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159) - Italy (Ratification: 2000)

Articles 2, 3, 5 and 7 of the Convention. National policy on vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that Law No. 183 of 10 December 2014 delegated to the Government the authority to adopt legislative decrees aimed at rationalizing and reviewing procedures and obligations regarding the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the labour market, pursuant to Law No. 68 of 12 March 1999.

The Committee also takes note of the various regulatory measures adopted in recent years, including: Legislative Decree No. 150 of 14 September 2015, reorganizing legislation on employment services and active labour market policies; Legislative Decree No. 151 of 14 September 2015, simplifying procedures and obligations for citizens and enterprises; Ministerial Decree No. 43 of 11 March 2022, adopting guidelines on the targeted placement of persons with disabilities; Legislative Decree No. 105 of 30 June 2022, concerning the reconciliation of work and family life for parents and carers; and Legislative Decree No. 48 of 4 May 2023 (converted into Law No. 85 of 3 July 2023), introducing measures for social inclusion and access to employment.

The Committee further notes that, under Legislative Decree No. 151/2015, the Fund for the Right to Work of Persons with Disabilities was substantially restructured. The previous system of annual transfers from the State to the Regions, followed by regional disbursement to employers, has been replaced by a mechanism allowing resources to be channelled through monthly contribution declarations via a dedicated procedure managed by the National Institute of Social Security (INPS).

Pursuant to the statistical information provided for the years 2016–2019, the Committee notes an increase in the number of persons with disabilities placed in private employment – from 27,333 in 2016 to 42,941 in 2019. However, as previously observed, significant regional disparities persist with respect to registration and job placement. The Government indicates that the simplification and improvement of the entire inclusion system are currently being examined by the National Observatory on the Condition of Persons with Disabilities (OND).

The Committee observes that, according to a recent OECD study (Disability, Work and Inclusion in Italy: Better Assessment for Better Support, OECD Publishing, Paris, 2023, p. 8), Italy continues to face long-standing challenges, including discrepancies with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities concerning disability assessment, fragmentation of assessment and support systems, and persistent regional inequalities in access to disability services and benefits.

The Committee notes with interest the adoption of Legislative Decree No. 62 of 3 May 2024, which introduces substantial reforms. The Decree, inter alia, establishes “basic” and “multidimensional” assessment procedures to ensure that persons with disabilities can access all necessary services, benefits and supports; provides for the effective exercise of reasonable accommodation; and redefines the concept of “disability condition” as a “long-term physical, mental, intellectual, neurodevelopmental or sensory impairment which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder full and effective participation in different areas of life on an equal basis with others”. The Committee also notes with interest the adoption of Legislative Decree No. 20 of 5 February 2024, establishing the National Guarantor Authority for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing information on the formulation, implementation and periodic review, in consultation with the social partners, of the national policy on vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities, particularly in the light of these recent reforms. It further requests the Government to provide information on the impact of these reforms and of the national policy in the different regions of the country, as well as on the activities of the National Observatory on the Condition of Persons with Disabilities.