A structural plan for SMEs can boost growth, jobs, and public finances
The investment that multiplies value
Long-term tax incentives for SMEs hiring disadvantaged workers are not an expense, but an investment. For every euro spent, the State gains at least 3.5 euros through savings and new revenues.
The numbers from Unimpresa
According to Unimpresa’s Research Center, an average incentive of €6,000 per year for 50,000 new hires would cost €300 million annually. But the benefits would be far greater:
- €600 million in savings on subsidies and social benefits;
- €450 million in additional tax and contribution revenues;
- a total of €1.05 billion, with a net positive balance of €750 million per year.
Direct and indirect benefits
New hires – especially single mothers and long-term unemployed – would generate an extra €250 million in annual consumption, boosting GDP by +0.15 percentage points and producing further indirect tax revenues.
A lever for national competitiveness
Incentives are not just welfare measures, but a true industrial policy tool. They help reduce unemployment, strengthen female employment, address the labor shortage, and enhance competitiveness.
Alternative scenarios
- With 100,000 incentivized hires, costs would be €600 million, benefits €2.1 billion.
- With 200,000 hires, costs €1.2 billion, benefits €4.2 billion.
Every euro spent yields at least €3.5 in returns.
A strategic choice for Italy
With GDP growth projected at just +0.4% in 2025 and female employment among the lowest in Europe, hiring incentives represent a forward-looking economic policy, strengthening public accounts, social cohesion, and national competitiveness.