ROMA (ITALPRESS) – In the first quarter of 2026, the work input, measured by working hours, grew by 0.3% compared to the previous quarter and 1% compared to the first quarter of 2025. In the same period, the GDP increased by 0.3% in terms of economic activity and by 0.8% in tendencies. It makes Istat known.
The number of employees, which is attested to 24 million 207 thousand, increases on a conjunctural basis (+67 thousand, +0.3% on the fourth quarter 2025), following the growth of the employees at a determined time (+9 thousand, +0.3%) and, above all, of the independent (+72 thousand, +1.4%) more sustained of the slight decrease of the employees at an undetermined time (-13 thousand, -0.1%); reduces the number of unemployed (-110 thousand, Net of seasonal effects, the employment rate rises to 62.7% (+0.2 points in three months), the unemployment rate drops to 5.3% (-0.4 points) and the inactivity rate rises to 33.7% (+0.1 points). In the interim figures of April 2026, compared with the previous month, the increase in employment (+0.5%) and the relative rate (+0.3 points) is associated with the decrease in unemployment rates (-0.1 points) and 15-64 years (-0.3 points).
In the trend comparison continues, at less intense pace than the previous quarter, the increase of the number of employed (+50 thousand, +0.2%) that involves only the independent (+4.7% in a year) against the decrease of the employees, both at term (-4.2%) and indefinitely (-0.5%). In the first quarter of 2026, the reduction in the number of unemployed (-394 thousand, -22.4% in one year) and the increase in the number of unemployed between 15 and 64 (+320 thousand, +2.6%). The rates follow the same dynamic: that of employment rises to 62.5% (+0.1 points in a year), that of unemployment falls to 5.4% (-1.5 points) and the inactivity rate reaches 33.8% (+1.0 points).
On the side of the enterprises, in the first trimester 2026 the dependent working positions continue to record signs of conjunctural growth (+0.5%), both in the full-time component (+0.5%) and, to a slightly lesser extent, in the part-time (+0.4%) leading to a decrease in the share of the part-time, which is at 28.8% (-0.1 points). The growth of working positions (+1.5%) is also more pronounced in the full-time component (+1.6%) than in part-time (+1.3%), with a slight drop in part-time (-0.1 points). After two quarters of growth, demand for positions in administration decreases (-0.3% in three months), while accelerating the growth of intermittent work (+3.1% compared to the previous quarter).
Also on an annual basis the positions in administration show a decrease (-0.6%) in the face of the strong growth of intermittent positions (+8.7% in a year), the highest after the post-Covid recovery phase. The hours worked per employee decrease in conjunctural terms (-0.3%) and increase in tendential terms (+0.1%); compared to the first quarter of 2025, the use of the supplementation case decreases (-0.3 hours), falling to 7.7 hours every thousand hours worked. The rate of vacancies is 1.7%, down in both the previous quarter (-0.1%) and the trend comparison (-0.4%). The cost of work for full-time equivalent unit (Ula) recorded a significant increase compared to the previous quarter (+1.2%), due to the growth of both pay and social contributions (+1.1% in both cases). The increase in labour costs is also observed on an annual basis (+3%), driven by the increase in social contributions (+3.5%) more marked than that of wages (+3%).
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
