Italy Jobless Rate Higher Than Expected

2026-10-29 09:23 By Agna Gabriel 1 min. read

Italy's unemployment rate rose to 6.3% in September 2026, the highest since May 2025, and above market expectations of 6.2%.

The number of unemployed people increased by 4,000, or 0.3%, during the month.

Meanwhile, the inactivity rate among people aged 15 to 64 remained unchanged at 32.7%.

The number of employed people stood at 24.328 million, largely unchanged from August, keeping the employment rate steady at 63%.

Growth in temporary employment offset declines in permanent jobs, while self-employment remained stable.

Meanwhile, youth unemployment fell to 19.9%, down 0.4 percentage points from the previous month.

Compared with September 2025, employment rose by 198,000 people, an annual increase of 0.8%.

Permanent employees increased by 71,000, temporary workers by 89,000, and self-employed workers by 38,000.

However, quarterly data showed employment declining by 13,000 in the third quarter of 2026, while jobseekers increased by 108,000 compared with the previous quarter.



News Stream
Italy Jobless Rate Higher Than Expected
Italy's unemployment rate rose to 6.3% in September 2026, the highest since May 2025, and above market expectations of 6.2%. The number of unemployed people increased by 4,000, or 0.3%, during the month. Meanwhile, the inactivity rate among people aged 15 to 64 remained unchanged at 32.7%. The number of employed people stood at 24.328 million, largely unchanged from August, keeping the employment rate steady at 63%. Growth in temporary employment offset declines in permanent jobs, while self-employment remained stable. Meanwhile, youth unemployment fell to 19.9%, down 0.4 percentage points from the previous month. Compared with September 2025, employment rose by 198,000 people, an annual increase of 0.8%. Permanent employees increased by 71,000, temporary workers by 89,000, and self-employed workers by 38,000. However, quarterly data showed employment declining by 13,000 in the third quarter of 2026, while jobseekers increased by 108,000 compared with the previous quarter.
2026-10-29
Italy Jobless Rate Rises to 15-Month High
The unemployment rate in Italy rose to 6.2% in August 2026 from an upwardly revised 6.0% in July, exceeding market expectations of 5.7%. This was the highest jobless rate since May 2025, as the number of unemployed people increased 3.1%, or 48,000, to 1.59 million, with increases recorded among both men and women and across all age groups. Meanwhile, the employment rate edged down to 63.0% from 63.1% in each of the previous four months, with the number of employed people falling by just 5,000 to 24.35 million. The decline reflected fewer fixed-term employees, self-employed workers, and employed people aged 25-34 and 35-49, partly offset by increases in permanent employees and those aged 50 and over. The youth unemployment rate, measuring jobseekers aged 15-24, climbed to 20.3%, the highest since September 2025, from 19.7% in the previous month. Meanwhile, the inactivity rate ticked down to 32.7% from 32.8% in July and June.
2026-10-01
Italy Jobless Rate Unchanged in July
The unemployment rate in Italy stood at 5.8% in July 2026, marking the highest level since October 2025, remaining unchanged from an upwardly revised 5.8% in June and matching market expectations. The number of jobseekers fell 1.1%, or 17,000, to 1.49 million, with declines among men and most age groups, except those aged 35–49. Meanwhile, the employment rate remained unchanged at 63.2%, as the number of employed people also remained largely unchanged at 24.37 million. Employment increased among men, permanent employees, the self-employed and those aged 35–49, while falling among women, temporary employees and other age groups. The youth unemployment rate, measuring jobseekers aged 15 to 24, rose to 18.9% from 18.7%. The inactivity rate remained unchanged at 32.8%.
2026-09-01