Adnkronos Rome, June 23 (Adnkronos/Labitalia) – The goal of retirement, even today, in our country, seems more and more like a mirage. At least according to the 'Change Lab, Italia 2030' Observatory, created for the fifth consecutive year by Groupama Assicurazioni – the first branch of the French Groupama Group and one of the most important players in the insurance sector in Italy – in collaboration with the research institute Bva Doxa to investigate the main trends that will change people's lifestyle habits by 2030.
This year, the Observatory analyzed the state of the art of welfare through the perception of Italians, with a specific focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), whose employees were involved in the survey.
It emerges that for over 6 out of 10 Italians, the future pension will be insufficient, to the point of having to rely on other sources of income (for 63%), or not being able to stop working (17%); while the youngest (15% of under 35s) think that their time to retire will never come. A lack of confidence that is echoed in a State that is increasingly less close, in which on the one hand public health is at the top of the list of services that Italians expect, on the other hand this is the most neglected (only 1 in 4 Italians feels it is guaranteed).
Looking at the bigger picture, almost half (44%) of Italians fail state services: in the face of expectations of an accessible, efficient and rapid healthcare system (69%), adequate pensions (47%) and local welfare services (36%), strong frictions emerge between desires and reality. Bad report cards, therefore, for the public sector, which are counterbalanced by excellent prospects for private welfare: approximately 4 in 10 Italians enjoy healthcare coverage (41%) and supplementary pensions (38%), as part of the offer provided by their employer. The result? Great satisfaction among employees who have a company welfare package (46%), so much so that 8 in 10 (82%) consider it an important factor in choosing a new job.
Even looking ahead to the next 10 years, the scenario does not differ from the current picture: only 9% of Italians say they are confident that the State will be able to guarantee all essential services. The majority of our fellow citizens, however, believe that only a part of the services will be guaranteed (55%) and that collaboration with the private sector will be necessary (27%), or that the State will not have the necessary resources and therefore companies will fill the gaps through corporate welfare (30%), or that we will have to rely on individual resources (25%).
"The survey conducted confirms that, in a socioeconomic context such as the current one, in which the value of pensions is decreasing, the aging of the population is increasing and the coverage of the national health system is decreasing, companies are called upon to play a social role, to 'replace' the State, filling some gaps in the public welfare system and offering their employees concrete support in crucial areas such as health and social security. In this scenario, corporate welfare is configured, for employees, as the answer to needs that the State is unable to meet and, for companies, as a strategic lever to attract and retain talent, through a tool capable of responding to the emerging needs of workers. As insurers, our commitment is to accompany this social evolution, facilitating the transition to an integrated system that can respond effectively to the new needs of protection and well-being of Italian citizens", comments Pierre Cordier, CEO and General Manager of Groupama Assicurazioni.
“The 'welfare of the future' outlined by this research invites, in a long-term perspective, trust and optimism. The concerns that have emerged are real, but they also represent the map of what we can improve. We imagine the State, businesses and citizens not as isolated runners on separate treadmills, but as teammates who pass the baton along a common path. Everyone has a role: the public sector creates the basic framework, businesses innovate and support, people actively participate in wellness choices. Together we can transform the fear of 'not making it' into energy to build new solutions. It is an economy of optimism in action, in which investing in social capital, in relationships of trust, in solidarity, in shared health, produces precious dividends: more serene workers, happier communities, more sustainable growth”, says Luciano Canova, economist and science communicator.
Data from the Groupama-Doxa Observatory show a worrying picture regarding Italians' trust in state welfare. According to our fellow citizens, the State should guarantee: accessible, efficient and rapid healthcare (69%), pensions adequate for a dignified lifestyle (47%), local welfare services (36%), quality education (34%), streamlined bureaucracy (28%). Essential services that are however absent in the perception of Italians: 2/3 (67%) consider the current public healthcare system inadequate, while less than 1 in 10 workers (8%) consider the amount of the pension sufficient to maintain the current standard of living. Even more alarming is that 44% of Italians believe that none of the essential services are currently guaranteed by the State. Among the main reasons for distrust in the state pension system are: the system's inability to guarantee sufficient coverage (55%), the demographic crisis with the progressive aging of the population and low birth rate (45%), and the erosion of purchasing power caused by inflation and ongoing international tensions (34%).
Numbers that lead 18% of workers to think, once retired, of moving abroad to have benefits that guarantee a better standard of living. Among the desires to be satisfied during the 'buen retiro': taking care of the needs of one's family and loved ones (28%), traveling and seeing the world (23%), living in the countryside (15%) and dedicating oneself to one's hobbies (14%).
In this scenario, the ones who are redrawing the boundaries of the welfare of the future are the workers themselves, who provide a clear image of what they expect. According to the employees of small and medium-sized enterprises interviewed, in the coming years we will witness a progressive integration between state and corporate welfare (38%), with the latter destined to acquire greater importance (30%). For 20% of the interviewees, a 'company-centric' future is even emerging, where the State will have a marginal role and companies will become the main suppliers of services and benefits for their employees.
Over 8 out of 10 employees (82%) consider the offer of a valid welfare package important for the purpose of choosing a job change and they are the ones who outline what the ideal 'welfare package' should offer: supplementary health insurance for oneself and for the family (57%) and a complementary pension plan (56%) lead the ranking of the most desired benefits, followed by family support services (33%) and agreements to ensure psychological and physical well-being (25%). Furthermore, for over 3 out of 10 (31%), the corporate welfare package of the future will be 'à la carte', with companies offering a basket of benefits to choose from, customizing the offer based on their specific needs.
Finally, the survey offers a focus on the insurance world, always under the lens of workers of small and medium-sized enterprises: a supplementary health and/or pension policy included among the benefits of the company is 'highly appreciated' by 1 in 2 Italians (48%), to which is added a further 41% who consider it 'quite useful' for greater peace of mind. 21% of those interviewed activated it through the company, 10% have a private one, while another 10% have both. As for supplementary pension provision, 18% have a form of private integration, 10% through the company and another 10% have both. Numbers that also bring into focus a two-speed Italy: 46% of workers who have a welfare package are satisfied with it, on the other hand, 24% do not yet have any forms of welfare.
“The data from our Observatory clearly show how crucial the commitment of Italian companies is to supporting people's needs. Today, Istat tells us that there are approximately 4,9 million SMEs in Italy, which make up over 96% of Italian companies. It is this group that we are addressing in particular: approximately 21 million workers employed in micro, small and medium-sized businesses that, to date, still do not benefit from adequate welfare measures. We firmly believe that this is where a crucial game is being played for the future well-being of workers and their families. This is why Groupama Assicurazioni's approach is to work together with the corporate client to identify the most suitable insurance and welfare solutions for their employees. We do this, among other things, through the Groupama Benessere Impresa product for managing health plans and with the Programma Open solution for supplementary pensions. It is a win-win situation: our Observatory on SMEs reveals that companies with a competitive welfare system not only retain and protect employees and families, but also attract new talent. “Coincidentally, 82% of workers indicate a more advantageous welfare as a decisive factor for a job change, sometimes even compared to a higher salary”, concludes the CEO of Groupama Assicurazioni, Pierre Cordier.