ANSA: 1.3 mn tourism jobs at risk

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ROME. KAZINFORM Some 1.3 million jobs in the Italian tourism sector are at risk because of COVID-19, sector groups warned on Wednesday.

The pandemic has resulted in a sharp U-turn in a trend that had seen a record year for tourism in Italy in 2019, according to the 12th annual report from the observatory on the labour market in tourism, ANSA reports.

The biggest effects on tourism, which accounted for 13% of Italy's GDP last year, are on employment, said the National Bilateral Tourism Agency, hotel group Federalberghi and hospitality group FIPE.

In August alone government unemployment subsidies in the tourism sector amounted to 44 million hours, corresponding to 254,000 full-time monthly wages.

From January to May 2020, the report said, hirings in the tourism and wellness sectors dropped 80% for seasonal job contracts and 60% for long-term steady job contracts.

And the outlook is no better, the report said.

The government forecasts a 70% drop in hirings from August to the end of the year.


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