Italy Labor Inspectorate records 25,000 resignations linked to prolonged absences

In the 18 months since Italy introduced new rules on prolonged unjustified absences, the National Labor Inspectorate received more than 25,000 resignation notifications. Under the regulation, employers must report employees who are absent without justification for more than fifteen days, after which the Inspectorate can deem the employment relationship terminated by the worker's choice unless valid reasons are shown.

The monitoring data show that 56% of the reports originated in the North, 28% in the Centre and 16% in the South, reflecting the regional distribution of economic activity. The Inspectorate audited roughly one‑third of the cases; 4.6% of the audited notifications were found to be unfounded. The checks also uncovered situations involving illness, maternity leave, personal vulnerability and disputes between employers and employees, reinforcing protection of workers' rights under the new absenteeism framework.