Investing.com -- Italy's unemployment rate increased to 6.2% in December, up from a revised 5.9% in the previous month, according to the national statistics bureau ISTAT.
Despite this rise, employment levels in the country remained largely unchanged for the month.
Earlier, a survey of 12 analysts had anticipated a jobless rate of 5.7% for December, matching the initially reported figure for November. However, the actual figure exceeded these expectations.
During the fourth quarter, the employment rate in the euro zone's third-largest economy saw a slight increase. ISTAT reported a rise of 27,000 jobs, or 0.1%, compared to the third quarter.
In terms of the number of people employed in December, there was an increase of 274,000, or 1.2%, compared to the same month in 2023.
The youth unemployment rate, which measures job-seekers between the ages of 15 and 24, remained stable in December at 19.4%.
However, Italy's overall employment rate, one of the lowest in the euro zone, dipped slightly in December to 62.3% from 62.4% in November.
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