Italy's unemployment rate held steady in February after rising marginally in the previous month, preliminary figures from the statistical office Istat showed on Thursday.
The seasonally adjusted jobless rate came in at 8.0 percent in February, the same as in January. That was in line with economists' expectations.
Data showed that the employment rate also remained stable at 60.8 percent at the middle of the first quarter.
The number of overall unemployed decreased by 12,000 from the prior month, while employment increased by 10,000, the agency said.
The unemployment rate among young people aged between 15 and 24, decreased to 22.4 percent in February from 22.8 percent a month ago.
