MILANO – For the first time since February 2020, therefore immediately before the outbreak of the pandemic, Italians at work return to rise above the threshold of 23 million. This is what emerges from the Istat data on the labor market, still provisional, published this morning. A picture that the Institute describes in terms of continuing employment growth. Compared to the beginning of the year, this is 170,000 more employed, mainly concentrated among employees. Compared to March 2021, therefore a year ago, the growth is 804 thousand employed. It confirms the fact that for the majority it is precarious employment: “In more than half of the cases” the jump in employment in 2021 “concerns temporary employees, whose estimate reaches 3 million 150 thousand, the highest value since 1977”, details the Institute.
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by Valentina Conte
The employment rate is peaking
Looking at the data attached to the tables, it is clear that the employed are 23.04 million: they were 23.05 in January 2020, or 23.03 in February of that year. The gap is effectively closed. The workforce – that is, the combination of those who have a job and those who do not have it, but are looking for it – is in recovery, but remains below the levels of the pre-pandemic: it is in fact estimated at 25.1 million people, against 25.5 million at the beginning of 2020. The employment rate (which is a ratio between the employed and the reference population) stands at 59.9% and reaches the record since the beginning of the historical series.
Compared to February, March brings 81 thousand more employees as a dowry. The increase “involves women, employees and people over 24 years of age; employment remains substantially stable among men, while it decreases among the self-employed and the youngest (15-24 years)”. The donne in fact 85 thousand more people were employed in the month, 442 thousand over March 2021 (employment rate at 51.2 per cent), while men employed fell by 4 thousand over February and increased by 362 thousand over March 2021. Both permanent employees rise (+0 , 7%) and fixed-term ones (+ 0.6%), while the self-employed are still suffering (-0.8%).
Il unemployment ratewhich overall drops to 8.3 per cent, in fact rises to 24.5% among young people (+0.3 points).
If the observation is extended to twelve months, the increase in employment is due to permanent employees (+ 2.1%) and above all, as mentioned, at term (+ 15.7%); and an increase is also recorded for the self-employed (+ 1.3%).
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by Valentina Conte
Unemployed and inactive declining
Positive is the fact that, in this month, the recovery of employment is joined by the decline in unemployment (to 8.3%, back to 2010 levels), and that of the inactivity rate: it falls to 34.5%, prepandemic levels. There were 13.05 million inactive at the beginning of 2020, they are now 12.9 million.