Unemployment is still very high in Italy. This is confirmed by Istat, according to which in March the unemployment rate remained stable at 12,7% compared to February, the highest levels since the beginning of the monthly and quarterly series. On an annual basis, the rate grew by 0,7%.
However, there would seem to be some small positive signs: the number of employed people in March grew by 0,3% compared to the previous month, even if on an annual basis it decreased by 0,6%, and the employment rate rose by 0,2% to 55,6%, recording the first positive cyclical change since June 2013. The number of unemployed stood at 3 million 248 thousand, down by 0,2% compared to the previous month (-5 thousand) but an increase of 6,4% over the year (+194 thousand).
Again in March, the unemployment rate for 15-24 year olds stood at 42,7%, down slightly compared to 42,8% in February. The decline in the number of inactive young people was sharper, down by 0,6% in a quarterly comparison (-25 thousand) and by 0,5% on an annual basis (-21 thousand).
