Italy’s employment rate hits record high

Italy’s employment rate rose to a record high of 62.1 percent in March, marking a 0.2 percent increase from February, according to data released by national statistics bureau Istat on Friday.

Istat pointed to a significant rise in the number of people in total employment – 70,000 from February and a 425,000 increase compared to March 2023.

This was mainly attributed to an increase of 559,000 people securing permanent jobs, alongside a 46,000 increase in self-employment. The number of workers on temporary contracts decreased by 180,000.

A large proportion of workers were over 50, reported Italian newspaper La Stampa, and the increase in employment was partly attributed to a squeeze on pensions.

Government ‘to deploy soldiers’ to cull wild boars

Italy’s government cabinet was on Monday to debate a new decree deploying soldiers to cull wild boars, reported newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore.

The decree on agricultural emergencies reportedly aimed to combat African swine fever and protect Italian farms, partly by culling the animals, which are considered a primary carrier of the disease.

As part of the scheme, around 177 soldiers would be deployed over the next twelve months to undertake “bio-regulation” tasks, essentially involving wild boar hunting and related actions.

Italian working hours among longest in Europe

In 2023, nearly one in ten Italians aged 20 to 64 spent an average of at least 49 hours a week on the job, exceeding the standard work schedule by a day, according to the latest Eurostat data.

This figure, higher than the European Union (EU) average of 7.1 percent, places Italy behind only Greece, France, and Cyprus in long work hours.

Eurostat data also revealed that this trend is particularly prevalent among the self-employed, with 29.3 percent of them working at least 49 hours weekly.

The proportion of people who worked these long hours was higher among men, with 12.9 percent of male workers putting in 49 hours of work or more weekly, compared to 9.9 percent across the EU.

Italy second only to Spain for life expectancy

Preliminary Eurostat data for 2023 published on Friday revealed an increase in life expectancy across the European Union, which reached 81.5 years at birth – a 0.9-year rise compared to 2022 and a 0.2-year increase from pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

Among EU nations, Spain was in first place with a life expectancy of 84 years, closely followed by Italy at 83.8 years and Malta at 83.6 years.

In contrast, Bulgaria, Latvia, and Romania recorded the lowest life expectancies.

Overall, 18 EU countries saw an increase in life expectancy compared to 2019, while six experienced a decrease.