by InTrieste
At a union congress in the hill town of Polcenigo on Monday, Alessia Rosolen, the regional councilor for labor and training in Friuli Venezia Giulia, outlined what she described as a structural overhaul of the region’s social welfare policies, centered on young people and women.
Speaking during a roundtable on the future of work at the 17th congress of Unione Italiana Lavoratori Metalmeccanici in Pordenone, Ms. Rosolen pointed to the region’s new law on social innovation, approved in December 2025, as a turning point. The measure, she said, moves beyond one-time bonuses and instead introduces permanent instruments aimed at supporting employment and household purchasing power.
“With the regional law on social innovation, Friuli Venezia Giulia has chosen to invest in a structural way in young people and women,” Ms. Rosolen said, describing the legislation as the result of a growing awareness in recent years, particularly after the pandemic.
The councillor acknowledged that job insecurity remains a concern but argued that the labor market has undergone profound changes since Covid-19. In particular, she noted a rising participation of women and young workers, groups that she said require targeted support to secure stable, quality employment. The demographic decline affecting much of Italy, she added, has intensified the need for policies that strengthen the region’s workforce.
Central to the new approach is what Ms. Rosolen called a renewed model of territorial welfare, based on shared responsibility among institutions, unions and employers. “The season of bonuses is over,” she said. “Now begins the reconstruction of local welfare.”
Among the measures linked to the law are expanded funding for childcare facilities, along with programs known as “Dote famiglia” and “Dote scuola,” which provide financial assistance to families and students. Additional initiatives address housing affordability and livability, with the stated goal of making the region more attractive to workers and helping offset relatively low entry-level wages.
One of the most closely watched provisions is a monthly allowance for working mothers or those in training. The policy provides €250 per month during a child’s first year of life, rising to €500 per month for one year for mothers under 30. Ms. Rosolen described the measure as unprecedented among Italian regions and said it was designed both to encourage female employment and to support birth rates.
The legislation also includes a law aimed at attracting and retaining workers under 35. Regional officials say the objective is not simply to increase headcount but to strengthen skills within the local economy. “We need competencies, not numbers,” Ms. Rosolen said, emphasizing the importance of aligning higher technical institutes, universities and the productive sector to create what she called an ecosystem capable of valuing expertise acquired both locally and abroad.
In addition to young people and women, regional labor policies are focusing on workers over 60 who have lost jobs in companies facing crisis, a group Ms. Rosolen described as particularly vulnerable in a shifting labor market.
Throughout her remarks, the councillor returned to the theme of coordination among public institutions, social partners and businesses. Effective territorial bargaining and a welfare system that integrates work, family life, training and quality of life, she said, can only succeed through joint action. Without that cooperation, she warned, “the result risks being undermined.”
