By Liam Moloney
ROME--Italy's unemployment rate rose slightly in September,
while the youth jobless rate fell from the previous month, national
statistics institute Istat reported Friday, citing preliminary
seasonally adjusted data.
The official jobless rate increased to 12.6% in September from
12.5% the previous month, Istat said. It rose also 0.1 percentage
point from September 2013.
The youth unemployment rate for those aged 15 to 24, a
politically sensitive subject, fell to 42.9% on the month.
The September rate represented a 0.8 percentage point drop on
the month and a 1.9 percentage-point rise on the year, Istat
said.
"The youth unemployment rate is still hovering at very high
levels, above 40% for the past year or so," an Istat official
said.
Taming Italy's high unemployment rate, especially youth
unemployment, is among the priorities of Prime Minister Matteo
Renzi's government as household spending remains weak and families
are concerned over possible job losses. The government expects
Italy to post in 2014 its third straight economic contraction.
An Istat official noted that there was a drop in inactivity
among those aged between 15 and 64 years, "which could be a
positive signal as it means seeking greater participation in the
workforce."
Italy's employment rate, the percentage of working-age adults
with jobs, advanced to 55.9% from 55.4% a year earlier, while the
jobless ranks grew by 1.8% to 3.24 million, Istat said.
"For the first time in months, September is the first one with a
positive signal for the employment rate which kept staying at
around 55.5%," an official said.
Write to Liam Moloney at liam.moloney@wsj.com