Italy employment at high but almost 10 points below OECD average

Employment in Italy is up to a record

level but it is still below the OECD average by almost 10

percentage points, the Paris-based organization said Tuesday.

The OECD also pointed to a marked gap for women's and young

people's employment in Italy.

"Thanks to particularly strong growth over the past two years,

Italy's employment rate reached a record high of 62.8% in the

first quarter of 2026, but remained 9.3 percentage points below

the OECD average (72.1% in the first quarter of 2026), placing

it among the lowest in the region," said the factsheet on Italy

included in the OECD Employment Outlook 2026.

"The gap compared to the OECD average," the international

organization continues, "is particularly marked among women and

young people."

Furthermore, the organization warns, "over the past year,

employment growth has slowed significantly, unlike the sustained

increase seen in other Southern European countries."

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