The populist government's plan to lower the retirement age in Italy will create "tens of thousands" of new jobs, deputy premier and interior minister Matteo Salvini said on Thursday.
"People who run businesses - not bureaucrats sitting in some office - have told us that reversing the Fornero law will create tens of thousands of jobs," Salvini told reporters in Rome.
He was referring to deeply unpopular legislation passed in 2011 which raised the retirement for both sexes to 67 by 2019.
"What I am interested in is guaranteeing thousands of new hires in the coming months, thanks to the reversal of the Fornero law."
He was speaking after a meeting of a steering committee attended by representatives of some of Italy's largest companies aimed at forging "an additional investment plan" to boost the country's chronically low growth.
