(ANSA) - Rome, May 5 - Both the European Union and Italy's national statistics agency on Monday revised upwards their forecasts of Italian unemployment for this year and the next. Italy's unemployment rate will grow to 12.7% in 2014, up 0.5% on the year, according to national statistics agency Istat.
Light improvement is expected in the second half of the year, preceding a drop to 12.4% in 2015, added Istat.
Meanwhile the European Commission predicted Italy's unemployment rate in 2014 to be 12.8%, "a new high", as opposed to the 12.6% rate predicted in February.
The new rate "will fall marginally" to 12.5% in 2015, the report added.
In its last report it predicted unemployment in Italy to be 12.4% next year.
Italian unemployment worse than expected, says EU and Istat
Between 12.7%-12.8% in 2014, with 'marginal improvement' in 2015