Feature: Italians mark Int'l Workers' Day amid substantially changed job market

Trade unions and workers staged rallies across Italy on Sunday to mark the International Workers' Day, the first to be celebrated after the country's job market underwent a substantial overhaul.

Tens of thousands of people joined a traditional concert in the central Piazza San Giovanni in Rome, as local and foreign musicians performed from early hours in the afternoon till late at night.

The atmosphere was joyful as usual, and music seemed to prevail over every other thoughts. Yet, it was easy to make people talk of what "work" would mean for them today, and worries soon surfaced in the conversations.

"This is a very strange May Day, if I only stop to think about it," Marcello, who gave his first name only, told Xinhua.

"I have come to enjoy the concert, as I have done many times, but I would not have many reasons to celebrate," the 29-year-old man from Savona, in the northwest Liguria region, said.

"This is the first Workers' Day after our job market has been reformed." "Overall, I feel much less protected as a worker compared to my parents' generation, or even to those who entered the job market just 8-10 years before me," he explained.

After graduating in statistics in 2012, Marcello had been quite positive he would easily find a job. The reality turned out to be different, and having a stable employment was a struggle since the very start.

"I had a first 18-month-long contract, the longest ever so far. Then, only shorter terms contracts and several periods of unemployment. Lately, I registered for VAT and started working as a freelance."

It was not his choice. Companies would ask for it to reduce their labor costs, he said.

"If I did not agree, they would just select someone else with the same profile."

"The result is: I have no sick leave, nor paid vacation. My workload is similar to an employee, but my average income is lower... And if I lose my job, still I do not qualify for unemployment benefits because I formally am a freelance professional," he said.

Two major factors contributed to changing Italy's job market landscape, and Marcello's work life.

Firstly, a long and deep crisis gripped the Italian economy, especially from 2011 to mid-2015.

Secondly, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's cabinet implemented the job market reform in 2015. The new rules made hiring and firing easier for companies

Workers in the private sector kept only the right to an economic compensation, when dismissed.

To balance these changes, unemployment benefits were broadened to include some categories to which they did not apply before, and maternity benefits were also widened. The government also introduced tax breaks for firms willing to hire on open-ended contracts.

A more flexible job market was a priority to revamp Italy's depressed economy, and tackle sky-high unemployment rates especially among young people, according to Renzi's cabinet.

Several economists agreed on the need of structural changes, and the reform was welcomed at international level.

On the other hand, it met with fierce opposition from unions and leftist parties, and remained overall controversial among workers.

Latest data seemed to prove the cabinet right: the jobless rate fell to 11.4 percent in March 2016, and the youth jobless rate to 36.7 percent, according to official statistics. In both cases, it was the lowest unemployment level since end of 2012.

The number of employed people rose by 90,000 in March compared to February, and by 263,000 compared to March 2015, data also showed.

Yet, the increased instability in the job environment was still hard to accept for many Italians, especially when combined with years of austerity.

At the concert in Rome on Sunday, many people believed the reform just helped jeopardizing their life, without really benefitting the country in the long term.

"I am not against the reform on principle, but I have not seen any advantage from it so far," 43-year-old Valeria Piemontese from Rome told Xinhua.

"A main reason is the unemployment benefit system has not been fully overhauled, and many workers are still left out of it," she said. "Plus, employment agencies have not been strengthened as promised. If you lose your job, as it recently happened to my sister, you are still pretty left on your own."

In this respect, the Italian government would still have much to fulfill, she said. Endit