The Italian labour market shows the unemployment rate remained stable at 6.1 percent in the first quarter of 2025, seasonally adjusted, alongside a 1.0 percent upward tick in labour input per hour.

A reduction in transient positions by 20,000 people is counterbalanced by a 143,000 increase in permanent employment and 18,000 increase in self-employment, allowing the number of employed individuals overall to grow by 141,000. The inactivity rate fell, while the unemployment rate remained stable at 6.1 percent. The constraint from wage increases and national contract renewals were reflected in the 1.5 percent quarterly and 4.6 percent annual increase in labour costs, which is driven by wages and social contributions. The business sector is experiencing stable job growth, particularly in full-time and part-time positions, with a minor decrease in advertised vacancies in the first quarter. Productivity, as measured by the number of hours worked per employee, is up 0.3 percent.

The unemployment rate measures the number of unemployed as a percentage of the labour force. In addition to the quarterly data, a less detailed monthly report is also available.

Unemployment data are published on a quarterly basis and are very old by the time they are released (they are published about 11 weeks after the end of the reference quarter). The data are published both by the number of persons out of work and by the unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is obtained from the ratio between persons seeking employment and the total labor force as measured by the labor force survey (LFS). Italy uses the International Labour Organisation criteria as adopted by Eurostat to compile the data.

Despite the delay in publication of these data, investors can sense the degree of tightness in the job market. If labor markets are tight, investors will be alert to possible inflationary pressures that could exist. If wage inflation threatens, it's a good bet that interest rates will rise; bond and stock prices will fall.