The number of temporary agency workers in Italy during February 2017 was up by 15.8% compared to the previous year according to the latest figures from Ebitemp, the bilateral organisation for temporary employment representing employers’ associations and unions.

The figures showed that the number of temp workers in February 2017 reached 379,368, compared with 327,550 in February of 2016.

Additional data from Ebitemp also shows that in February 2017 the total payroll of temporary workers increased by 18.5% compared to the same month last year. Of the nearly 379,000 temp workers in February, 11.5% of them worked for an “indefinite period”.

The number of hours worked in February 2017 increased by 16.4% when compared to the same time last year. Hours worked per worker increased by 0.5.% when compared to February 2016.

In the wider employment market, Italy's seasonally adjusted jobless rate decreased to 11.5 percent in February of 2017 compared to a downwardly revised 11.8 percent in January 2017, and lower than market expectations of 11.9 percent. It is the lowest reading since August 2016, as the number of unemployed persons decreased by 83 thousand from the previous month and employment increased by 8 thousand. Meanwhile, the employment rate stood at 57.5 percent.