Italy: Women Can Now Work Up To Childbirth, Then Take Maternity Leave 

Pregnant women who are certified healthy by their doctor can now choose to work up until the day of childbirth and take all five months of compulsory maternity leave after the birth of their child, under Italy’s budget law (Italian), which took effect 1 Jan 2019.

Under the old law, maternity leave was divided into two periods — two months before and three months after childbirth. An exception under the old law allowed healthy pregnant women to continue working until the end of the eighth month of their pregnancy. Compulsory maternity leave is paid at 80% of the salary amount used to calculate social security contributions; provisions in collective labor agreements could include additional payment by the employer.

Related Resources

• Budget 2019 (Italian) (Official Gazette, 28 Jan 2019)