Page 47 - Investing in Bergamo EN

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SALARIES, LABOUR COSTS AND HOURS

66.5% of employees in the manufacturing industry of Bergamo are qualified as manual
workers; to which must be added 2.8% of apprentices; office workers are 26.8%;
middle managers are 2.5%. Managers are less than 1.5% (INPS 2013).
Most of the salaries are determined by national agreements; the remainder of the
amount that makes up labour costs depends on taxes and social security contributions
which also depend on national taxation. Therefore, salaries and labour costs tend to be
the same throughout Italy. Some differences, with an increasing incidence, depend on
local taxes, and for salaries, on company bonus systems (production, performance or
merit incentives).
However, there is a significant difference in the number of actual working hours because
the rate of absenteeism plays an important role in costs and, of course, productivity.
Consequently, this is a factor of competitiveness influenced by the sector, job, labour
unrest, family risk, effectiveness of welfare and, therefore, also by the places. The
industrial history of Bergamo ensures lower average rates of absence from work.
The manufacturing heart of the territory is even more evident when considering that
the level of outsourcing for businesses is low and, with it, the rate of female employment
and number of employees with a university degree. These distinctive phenomena are
however being normalised.
In factories, the number of foreign workers is 5% and over 70% of businesses have at
least one foreigner in their workforce. The level of integration at work is satisfactory and,
now, consolidated.
The average pay is € 32,000 and varies from € 28,000 for manual workers, to €
36,000 for office workers, € 65,000 for middle managers and over € 132,000 for
managers. These values compare to a turnover per employee of € 410,500 and
value added of € 147,800 (Bureau Van Dijk 2013).
1,553 hours were worked during the year and those lost to absences were 119; over
half of which involved non-occupational diseases and one-fourth paid leave. Strike
hours in 2013 were 7.5 per employee. Absences were 1.5 times higher among manual
workers.
In two-thirds of the cases, a variable production bonus accounts for about 6% of
pay.
To move from gross wages to labour costs, it is necessary – on average – to double the
amount.
Over the past decade, contractual wages have increased on average by 2.3% per
annum compared to a 1.2% increase in the rate of consumer price inflation.