The unemployment rate in Italy rose to 6.2% in August 2026 from an upwardly revised 6.0% in July, exceeding market expectations of 5.7%. This was the highest jobless rate since March 2025, as the number of unemployed people increased 3.1%, or 48,000, to 1.59 million, with increases recorded among both men and women and across all age groups. Meanwhile, the employment rate edged down to 63.0% from 63.1% in each of the previous four months, with the number of employed people falling by just 5,000 to 24.35 million. The decline reflected fewer fixed-term employees, self-employed workers, and employed people aged 25-34 and 35-49, partly offset by increases in permanent employees and those aged 50 and over. The youth unemployment rate, measuring jobseekers aged 15-24, climbed to 20.3%, the highest since September 2025, from 19.7% in the previous month. Meanwhile, the inactivity rate ticked down to 32.7% from 32.8% in July and June.