Labour market - Q3 2025

The labour input, as measured by hours worked, increases compared both to the previous quarter (+0.7%) and to the third quarter of 2024 (+2.0%). In the same period GDP increases by 0.1% quarter-on-quarter and by 0.6% year-on-year.

Compared with the second quarter of 2025, the number of employed people falls slightly (-45 thousand, -0.2%), a result of the decrease in fixed-term employees (-51 thousand, -2.0%), the stability of permanent employees and the increase in self-employed workers (+14 thousand, +0.3%); the number of unemployed people decreases again (-64 thousand, -3.9% over three months), and the number of inactive individuals aged 15–64 increases (+85 thousand, +0.7%). The same trend is observed in the rates: the employment rate falls to 62.5% (-0.1 points compared with the second quarter of 2025), the unemployment rate drops to 6.1% (-0.2 points), while the inactivity rate rises by 0.3 points (to 33.3%). In the provisional data for
October 2025, compared with the previous month, the increase in the number of employed people (+0.3%) and in the employment rate (+0.1 points) is accompanied by a decrease in the unemployment rate (-0.2 points) and by stability in the inactivity rate for the 15–64 age group.

In the year-on-year comparison, after seventeen quarters the growth in the number of employed people stops and remains substantially unchanged compared to the third quarter of 2024. This stability reflects an increase in permanent employees (+0.7%) and in the self-employed (+2.2%), which offsets the decline in fixed-term employees (-8.6%). In the third quarter of 2025, after sixteen quarters of progressive decline, the number of unemployed will slightly increase again (+12 thousand, +0.8% in one year) while the decrease in inactive individuals aged 15–64 continues, though less sharply (-35 thousand, -0.3%). The employment, unemployment, and inactivity rates remain substantially stable compared with the third quarter of 2024, standing at 62.5%, 5.6% and 33.6% respectively.

On the enterprise side, total jobs grow by 0.4% on a quarterly basis; the increase is slightly higher for full-time employees (+0.4%) compared to part-time (+0.2%). On an annual basis total jobs increase by 1.6% equal to 1.7% for full-time and 1.3% for part-time. The hours worked per employee show an increase both on a quarterly basis (+1.0%) and on annual basis (+1.3%). The use of short-time working allowances decreases to 7.2 hours per 1,000 hours worked (-1.5 hours per 1,000 hours worked with respect to the third quarter 2024). The job vacancy rate stands at 1.8%, representing an increased compared to the previous quarter (+0.1%). However, comparing to the third quarter 2024, it still decreases (-0.2%).

On a quarterly basis, total labour cost increases by 0.8% due to a growth equal to 0.7% of wages and 1.2% social contributions. Compared to the third quarter of 2024, labour cost increase is still significant, equal to 3.3% due to a growth of wages equal to 2.8% and a new significant rise in social contributions, equal to 4.8%.
Besides the positive impact of renewed National Contracts on wages, the weakening of some social security relief measures is the main cause of the rise recently observed in contributions.