Abstract

The article investigates the determinants and consequences of atypical jobs in Italy, using longitudinal micro-data and comparing North-South regions. We demonstrate that the "partial and targeted" labour market deregulation, as implemented in Italy since the '80s, did not solve the "high equality, low employment" problem of the Italian labour market. Moreover, flexibilisation enhanced a strong labour market segmentation that entrapped the younger cohorts in a secondary, sub-protected labour market filled with atypical jobs. In addition, our results show that the the expectation that the new forms of atypical employment could constitute a way to make the transition into stable employment - and to make it faster - is definitely misleading. On the opposite, we find serious risk of entrapment in "second, sub-protected L.M." at 35 years of age, namely for the less qualified. We address the point that - due to the way the national insurance-based welfare model works - the present situation appears at risk of further enhancing the inegalitarian tide.