Italy: 188,000 former welfare recipients missing from INPS data

Data from INPS monitoring reveals that 188,000 former recipients of Italy’s ‘Reddito di cittadinanza’ (Citizenship Income) have disappeared from administrative databases following the measure's replacement.

Of the 582,000 former beneficiaries classified as employable, approximately 206,000 have found employment, while only 15% (90,000 people) have transitioned to the new ‘Supporto per la formazione e il lavoro’ (Support for Training and Work) program. The remaining 188,000 individuals—roughly one-third of the employable group—are not captured by current administrative tracking.

Pasquale Tridico, a former INPS president and Member of the European Parliament, has raised concerns regarding this group, describing them as the ‘poorest among the poor.’ He warned that these individuals, who may be highly vulnerable, could have fallen into the informal economy or lost all forms of social protection. The findings highlight ongoing debates regarding the effectiveness of the transition from the previous welfare system to the current measures introduced by the Meloni government.