(ANSA) - Rome, July 4 - INPS chief Tito Boeri reiterated on Wednesday his assertion that Italy needs migrant workers for its pension system to be sustainable, sparking criticism from Interior Minister and Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini.
"Our pension system is capable of meeting the challenge of longevity, at least as long as the automatic adaptation of the retirement age in relation to life expectancy is kept," Boeri said as he presented the pension and social security agency's annual report.
"But it does not have corrective mechanisms that enable it to compensate for a fall in people arriving on our labour market...
"The Italians underestimate the percentage of the population that is over 65 and they overestimate the number of immigrants and people under 14.
"The deviation between perception and reality is much more accentuated that elsewhere.
"It's not just prejudice. It is full blown disinformation.
"Our country needs to increase legal immigration".
Salvini on Wednesday blasted Boeri, having suggested on Tuesday that the INPS head could be affected by changes that the new government will bring in.
"(Boeri says that) more migrants are needed to pay the pensions, that scrapping the Fornero (pension reform) would cost too much, that more migrants are needed to do the many jobs that Italian people no longer want to do," said Salvini, who is also deputy premier and leader of the rightwing League party.
"The INPS president continues to practise politics, ignoring the desire to work (and have children) of many Italians.
"Where does he live, on Mars?".