Abstract

This paper provides an analysis of art. 24 of D.L. n. 201 dated 6 December 2011, converted with amendments by law n. 214 dated 22 December 2011, that allows employees to keep working until they are seventy years old. This possibility raises several questions about the aims of incentives, how to exercise the option and the actual protection against unjustified dismissal. These issues have a significant impact on the labor market because they affect the social security system, the management of employment relations and generational turnover policies. In addition to, the need to increase participation of older people in the labor market and the general interest in the development of policies for older workers and the contribution they can make to society - so called active ageing - have received great attention from the European Union in recent years.