Telecom Italia said on Friday it plans to hire 4,000 people, taking advantage of more flexible labour rules introduced by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's reforms. After a meeting with trade unions, the Italian phone group said in a statement it would be hiring in the next three to four years and would provide the skills needed to upgrade its domestic phone networks with new technologies. "After seven years, we will again be recruiting up to four thousand young people between 20 and 30 years of age," Chief Executive Marco Patuano said in the statement. The announcement by Telecom Italia, which employs more than 50,000 people in the home Italian market that generates two thirds of its revenue, echoes a move by carmaker Fiat Chrysler earlier this month. Both are a sign that Renzi's recently passed Jobs Act, aimed at easing hiring and firing restrictions, can persuade big employers to take on more permanent staff. Telecom Italia trade unions welcomed the new jobs as well as the phone group's recently announced plan to invest 10 billion euros in laying more fibre optic cables in Italy to bring the company back to earnings growth in 2017. "At last we are moving to action on the topic of ultra broadband and the company's growth, also when it comes to jobs," SLC-CGIL trade union official Michele Azzola told Reuters. Renzi, who pushed the labour reforms through in the face of stiff opposition, is hoping the new rules will encourage firms to hire, especially young people, among whom unemployment is running at more than 40 percent.
Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/02/27/telecom-italia-employment-idINL5N0W14X920150227
