Overview
- ISTAT’s provisional report released Wednesday shows 29,000 fewer employed than in January, pushing the employment rate down to 62.4%.
- People seeking work rose by 36,000, lifting the overall jobless rate to 5.3%, while the youth unemployment rate fell to 17.6%.
- The monthly drop hit employees on both permanent and temporary contracts, and the self‑employed increased, with total employment at 24,149,000.
- Year over year, a modest gain of 13,000 jobs masks a jump of 432,000 among over‑50s and declines among younger groups, with more 15–34-year-olds counted as inactive.
- On a quarterly view, December to February brought about 20,000 more employed, 119,000 fewer unemployed, and 117,000 more inactive, pointing to short-term gains alongside structural aging effects.