Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has stressed that the government is looking for ways to encourage people to have children after national statistics agency Istat reported that Italy's birth rate dropped to a new record low in 2022.
Last year, births fell below the 400,000 mark for the first time since the unification of Italy, standing at 393,000, Istat said.
Laura Boldrini of the opposition, centre-left Democratic Party (PD), criticised the reported plan on social media.
"No, Minister Giancarlo #Giorgetti. You need to offer young men and women stable jobs and adequate salaries for them to plan their futures and be able to stay in Italy," she said.
Meloni said on Tuesday that her government was determined to take action to boost the nation's birth rate, and to increase the number of working women to help resolve shortages on the labour market.
"There are more and more people to maintain in Italy and fewer and fewer people who are working," she said as she arrived at the Milan Furniture Fair (Salone del Mobile).
"This problem can be solved in several ways.
"The government's way is not just to solve it with migrants, but also with the great unused reserve of female labour, bringing it (the proportion of Italian women in employment) up to the European average, and by focusing on demographics, with incentives for families to bring children into the world".
Istat said earlier this month that there were less than seven births for every 1000 inhabitants in Italy in 2022 and more than 12 deaths per 1000.
ANSA
