ABSTRACT
The chapter provides some empirical evidence and descriptive comments on the structural aspects of the Italian labour market, with the aim of identifying what is broadly defined as a territorially "dualistic" condition. Dualism is essentially an evocative rather than a rigorous term, encompassing the segmentation and differentiation of patterns of labour, which should be related more precisely to detailed taxonomies and definitions. In the Italian case, "dualism" is normally intended as territorial dualism, i.e. dualism at the most macroscopic level. The conditions of participation to the labour market differ widely in the country. Flexible work arrangements for the younger workers might have helped their entry into the labour market, but they have increased the burden of an already relevant "dualistic" differentiation. The chapter concludes that the extent of territorial dualism in the economic development and the labour market should be recognised as the most dramatic and relevant specificity of the Italian economy.
