Did you know that… the so-called “1 May Decree” introduces new measures concerning fair pay, employment incentives, and work performed through digital platforms? 

The Official Gazette has published Decree-Law No. 62 of 30 April 2026, entitled “Urgent Provisions on Fair Pay, Employment Incentives and the Fight Against Digital Labour Exploitation”, which entered into force on 1 May 2026.

Among the key measures introduced by the decree are new social security contribution relief schemes for permanent hires. In particular, for 2026 the decree provides for four main contribution exemption measures:

• the so-called “Women’s Bonus”, consisting of a 100% exemption from social security contributions of up to €650 per month, increased to €800 per month in the Single Special Economic Zone (SEZ), for the permanent hiring of women who have been without regularly paid employment for at least 24 months, or without regularly paid employment for at least 12 months and belonging to the categories of “disadvantaged workers”;
• the so-called “Youth Bonus”, consisting of a 100% exemption from social security contributions of up to €500 per month, increased to €650 per month in the Single SEZ, for the permanent hiring of workers under the age of 35 who have been without regularly paid employment for at least 24 months, or without regularly paid employment for at least 12 months and belonging to the categories of “disadvantaged workers”;
• the so-called “SEZ Bonus”, consisting of a 100% exemption from social security contributions of up to €650 per month for employers with up to 10 employees that hire long-term unemployed workers within the Single SEZ.

The so-called “Stabilisation Bonus”, consisting of a 100% exemption from social security contributions of up to €500 per month for the conversion of fixed-term employment contracts with a duration of no more than 12 months into permanent employment contracts.

These incentives are subject to a net increase in employment levels and cannot be combined with one another.

The decree also introduces the principle of “fair pay”, providing that the overall remuneration granted to employees must be at least equal to that established by the National Collective Bargaining Agreements (CCNLs) entered into by the most representative trade union and employers’ organisations at national level, including for the purpose of accessing the incentives provided under the legislation.

The decree further contains provisions concerning the renewal of collective bargaining agreements, introducing wage adjustment mechanisms where a collective agreement is not renewed within twelve months of its expiry date.

Particular attention is also given to work performed through digital platforms and to combating so-called “digital labour exploitation” (caporalato digitale). In this area, the decree introduces requirements for the digital identification of workers and prohibits the use of non-personal accounts. It also establishes specific transparency obligations regarding the algorithmic systems used by platforms, as well as workers’ right to a human review of automated decisions.