As many as 6.3 million Italians are
out of work, with more than 1.4 million too discouraged to
continue the formal job hunt and more than 1.2 million over 50
seeking employment, national statistical agency Istat said
Wednesday.
The number of unemployed are evenly divided between those
who are in the system and receiving jobless benefits and those
we are not, the agency said in its annual report.
Overall, the level of joblessness in Italy has doubled
since the beginning of the economic crisis in 2008, the agency
said.
It noted that last year, 2.435 million youth aged 15 to 29
were in the category known as NEET - neither employed nor in
education or training programs.
That number had jumped by 576,000 since 2008, said Istat.
And for workers under age 35, the number of unemployed has
risen to 1.8 million.
About 984,000 jobs were lost in Italy between 2008 and 2013
and the employment rate in Italy dropped to 55.6% in 2013 from
58.7 per cent in 2008.
In regions of southern Italy, where employment is often
difficult to find, the number of workers dropped by 9% and the
employment rate was about 42% in 2013.
The agency also noted a substantial rise in part-time work,
both temporary and permanent posts, of almost 20% or 667,000
positions.
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