We analyse the dynamics and the determinants of labour income inequality among the working-age population (15-64) and in-work poverty in Italy and in the three other main euro area countries (France, Germany, and Spain). The analysis is based on data from the EU-SILC survey, which contains information on income and employment of all household members, making it possible to analyse inequalities at both individual and household level.
According to the latest available data (year 2018), the inequality of individual and equivalised household labour income among the working-age population is larger in Italy and Spain than in France and Germany. Italy's higher inequality is mainly due to its lower employment rate, which translates into a higher share of people with no earned income and single-earner households. By contrast, the dispersion of labour income among the employed is not significantly higher than in France and Germany.
