ITALY – Italian pension reform proposals could see those who remain in employment beyond the age of retirement receive state pension pay-outs increased by 30% in a bid to encourage workers to remain in employment, says Italian financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore.

Amendments to labour and social policy minister Roberto Maroni’s pensions reform proxy include incentives for workers to remain in employment through a series of fiscal and contribution discounts that could increase their retirement payments by up to 30%, says the newspaper.

The idea of monetary incentives in order to delay the age of retirement has been bandied around by ministers since autumn 2002, in a bid to tackle the growing pensions crisis in Italy brought on by an ageing population and eroding state pension fund reserves.

According to Il Sole, the proposal will be presented to the social partners in Parliament before the end of January.