Employment and unemployment (provisional)

This press release is referred to February 2020, therefore it is related to the pre-COVID-19 health emergency phase.

In February 2020, in comparison with the previous month, employment remained unchanged, unemployment decreased, inactive people slightly grew while the inactivity rate stayed stable.

On a monthly basis, the stability of employment, with an employment rate unchanged at 58.9%, was the result of a growth among women (+0.1%, +12 thousand) and people aged 15-24 (+35 thousand) and of a decrease for men (-0.2%, -22 thousand) and over35 (-44 thousand).

In the last month, the fall of the unemployed was the effect of a decrease among women (-3.2%, -39 thousand) and over35. Unemployed people increased among men (+1.7%, +22 thousand) and people aged 15-24. The unemployment rate slightly decreased to 9.7% (-0.1 percentage points) while the youth rate stayed stable to 29.6%.

In February the growth of inactive people aged 15-64 (+0.1%, +12 thousand) concerned only women and over35. The inactivity rate remained unchanged at 34.5%.

With respect to the previous quarter, in the period December 2019 – February 2020, employment decreased (-0.4%, -89 thousand) for both men and women.

In the last three months, also unemployed persons decreased, while a growth among inactive people aged 15-64 years was registered (+51 thousand).

Compared with February 2019, employment stayed stable as the result of a growth among people aged 15-24 and over50 and of a fall among people aged 35-49 due to their decreasing demographic weight.

On a yearly basis, the stability of employment was accompanied by a fall of unemployed persons (-7.6%, -206 thousand) and a growth of inactive people aged 15-64 (+0.4%, +51 thousand).