According to a study by the Bank of Italy, smart working has had a positive impact among women with children and in areas with fewer childcare services.
Il remote work It is no longer just a response to the pandemic: it has become a concrete accelerator of participation in the Italian labor market. Those who benefited most from it were: women between 25 and 49 years old, often busy caring for their children, and the southern regions, where childcare services and support structures have historically been lacking.
A study by economists of the Bank of Italy, based on a unique European administrative database and analyzing the period 2019-2022, highlights a measurable impact: a 0,9 percentage point increase in the participation rate and a 0,7 percentage point increase in the employment rate. The effect is more pronounced in peripheral and less densely populated areas, where smart working reduces logistical obstacles and facilitates entry or reentry into the labor market.
Where smart working makes the difference
In Southern Italy And in rural areas, the flexibility of remote working has opened up new opportunities, compensating for the lack of welfare services. In urban Central and Northern Italy, smart working is more widespread but has a less decisive effect on new entrants; in the South and peripheral areas, however, it is becoming a key tool for inclusion.
The data confirm that they are above all the women to resort to smart working, both in cities and in the Northern regions, emphasizing its fundamental role in reconciling private life and work.
A direct and measurable effect
The study highlights that the improvements are not the result of pre-existing trends: smart working has had a direct impact on employment, helping to reduce gender and regional gaps.
In a country with low birth rate, demographic ageing e low female participation At work, smart working emerges as a strategic lever for inclusion and employment growth.