Italian cultural workers face precarious contracts and inadequate wages, survey finds

A 2022 survey by the association Mi Riconosci? reveals dire working conditions in Italy's cultural sector, with 68.93% of dependent workers earning less than €8 net per hour and 50% earning under €10,000 annually. The survey, presented at the Chamber of Deputies with MP Anna Laura Orrico (M5S), collected responses from 2,526 current and former workers. It highlights that 75% of dependent workers are employed by private entities, mainly cooperatives, due to outsourcing policies stemming from the 1993 Ronchey Law, which allowed privatization of museum and library services. Among freelancers, 63.8% did not choose this status but were forced by employers to open a VAT number, with 73% having a single client and paid by the hour or day, effectively masking dependent employment. The survey also found that 40.3% of freelancers earn less than €8 per hour. Federica Pasini, one of the curators, stated the system 'needs a timely change of direction.' Umberto Croppi, director of Federculture, noted the paradox of highly qualified workers (mostly with master's degrees) receiving inadequate pay and called for a unified contract for cultural workers. The survey also reports that 90% of respondents support the introduction of a minimum wage for the sector.