Italy’s unemployment rate drops to lowest level on record

ROME, 8th January, 2026 (WAM) — According to provisional data released by Italy’s National Statistics Institute (Istat), Italy’s unemployment rate fell to 5.7% in November, down 0.1 percentage point from October, marking the lowest level on record since the start of the statistical series in 2004.

The decline was also evident among young people, with the unemployment rate for under-25s active in the labour market dropping by 0.8 percentage point to 18.8%.

However, Istat noted a rise in labour market inactivity, with the inactivity rate increasing by 0.2 percentage point to 33.5%.

Total employment stood at 24.188 million people in November 2025, down by 34,000 compared with October, but 179,000 higher year-on-year.

The employment rate edged down by 0.1 percentage point month-on-month to 62.6%, remaining 0.3 percentage point above its level in November 2024, according to Istat.