ABSTRACT
In Italy, young people often have to deal with both employment and income discontinuity. This chapter aims to analyse some of the coping strategies that young Italians use to deal with income discontinuity, given the framework of opportunities and constraints that informs their actions. Universal measures to sustain people during periods of unemployment have been missing in Italy for a long time. The Italian model for regulating the labour market was built around the centrality of subordinated employment and permanent contracts. In Italy, a rapid introduction of temporary employment contracts, combined with very low and targeted social protection, affected the life of young people differently than in other countries where such changes were slower or accompanied by higher levels of social protection. By analysing risks arising from the synchrony on employment and income discontinuity, it was possible to draw some conclusions on short- and long-term inequalities, considering the intertwining of labour market, welfare system and financial sector.
