Italy: quarterly employment rate 2024

Italy is the European country with the lowest employment rate in 2024. As of June 2024, 62.2 percent of the population in working age had a job. In 2013, the lowest figure was recorded since 2004, with almost half of the population being unemployed. This occurred because of the austerity measures and hard labor policies enacted to cope with the 2011 Great Recession. Since then, the employment rate gradually increased, before recording another drop following the COVID-19 crisis. After the pandemic, the rate grew at a steady pace. However, there is a large inequality between men and women, with the male employment rate being 71 percent, while the rate for females is 53 percent only. Nevertheless, the gap has declined since 2004, when the difference surpassed 24 percent, rather than the 18 percent it is today.

Total employment rate, male employment rate, and female employment rate in Italy from the 1st quarter of 2004 to the 2nd quarter of 2024 (seasonally adjusted)

Characteristic	Total	Male	Female
2004-Q1	57.4%	69.6%	45.3%
2004-Q2	57.5%	69.6%	45.5%
2004-Q3	57.5%	69.6%	45.5%
2004-Q4	57.5%	69.5%	45.5%
2005-Q1	57.4%	69.5%	45.4%
2005-Q2	57.3%	69.4%	45.4%
2005-Q3	57.2%	69.3%	45.3%
2005-Q4	57.6%	69.7%	45.6%
2006-Q1	58%	70%	46%
2006-Q2	58.2%	70.3%	46.2%
2006-Q3	58.1%	70%	46.2%
2006-Q4	58.2%	70.1%	46.4%
2007-Q1	58.1%	70.1%	46.3%
2007-Q2	58.4%	70.3%	46.6%
2007-Q3	58.5%	70.4%	46.8%
2007-Q4	58.5%	70.3%	46.9%
2008-Q1	58.6%	70.2%	47.2%
2008-Q2	58.7%	70.2%	47.3%
2008-Q3	58.4%	69.8%	47.2%
2008-Q4	58.1%	69.4%	47%
2009-Q1	57.5%	68.7%	46.5%
2009-Q2	57.2%	68.1%	46.4%
2009-Q3	56.7%	67.6%	46%
2009-Q4	56.4%	67.2%	45.8%
2010-Q1	56.3%	67.2%	45.7%
2010-Q2	56.3%	66.8%	45.9%
2010-Q3	56.1%	66.5%	45.9%
2010-Q4	56.3%	66.7%	46.1%
2011-Q1	56.5%	66.8%	46.2%
2011-Q2	56.4%	66.8%	46.2%
2011-Q3	56.3%	66.5%	46.2%
2011-Q4	56.3%	66.2%	46.5%
2012-Q1	56.2%	65.9%	46.6%
2012-Q2	56.2%	65.7%	46.8%
2012-Q3	56%	65.3%	46.7%
2012-Q4	55.7%	64.9%	46.6%
2013-Q1	55.2%	64.3%	46.3%
2013-Q2	55%	63.8%	46.2%
2013-Q3	54.9%	63.6%	46.2%
2013-Q4	55%	63.8%	46.3%
2014-Q1	55%	63.8%	46.4%
2014-Q2	55.2%	64%	46.6%
2014-Q3	55.3%	64%	46.8%
2014-Q4	55.5%	64.3%	46.9%
2015-Q1	55.6%	64.5%	46.9%
2015-Q2	55.8%	64.8%	47%
2015-Q3	56.2%	65.5%	47%
2015-Q4	56.4%	65.7%	47.3%
2016-Q1	56.6%	65.8%	47.6%
2016-Q2	57.1%	66.4%	48%
2016-Q3	57.1%	66.2%	48.1%
2016-Q4	57.3%	66.5%	48.3%
2017-Q1	57.6%	66.7%	48.6%
2017-Q2	57.7%	66.7%	48.7%
2017-Q3	57.9%	66.9%	49%
2017-Q4	58.2%	67.1%	49.3%
2018-Q1	58.2%	67.2%	49.3%
2018-Q2	58.6%	67.6%	49.7%
2018-Q3	58.6%	67.6%	49.5%
2018-Q4	58.6%	67.6%	49.7%
2019-Q1	58.8%	67.6%	50%
2019-Q2	59.2%	68.1%	50.3%
2019-Q3	59.1%	68%	50.2%
2019-Q4	59%	68.2%	50%
2020-Q1	58.7%	67.8%	49.7%
2020-Q2	56.7%	65.9%	47.6%
2020-Q3	57%	66.1%	48%
2020-Q4	57.3%	66.3%	48.3%
2021-Q1	57%	65.8%	48.2%
2021-Q2	58%	66.9%	49.2%
2021-Q3	58.7%	67.8%	49.7%
2021-Q4	59.2%	68.1%	50.5%
2022-Q1	59.7%	68.8%	50.6%
2022-Q2	60.2%	69.3%	51.1%
2022-Q3	60.2%	69.3%	51.2%
2022-Q4	60.6%	69.6%	51.6%
2023-Q1	61%	70%	52.1%
2023-Q2	61.4%	70.3%	52.4%
2023-Q3	61.5%	70.4%	52.6%
2023-Q4	61.9%	70.8%	53%
2024-Q1	62%	70.9%	53%
2024-Q2	62.2%	71%	53.4%