Jobs up 729,000 in 5 months, but just one in four steady

(ANSA) - Rome, July 21 - Italy registered a net rise of 729,000 private sector jobs in the first five months of 2017, when the number of terminated labour contracts is subtracted from the new ones signed, pensions and social security agency INPS said Friday. The agency say this was bigger than the rise registered in the equivalent period for the last two years. INPS said the net rise for the last 12 months was lower at 497,000. It said this was driven by a net rise in temporary contracts of 428,000, compared to 21,000 permanent jobs and 48,000 apprenticeships. Just 25.9% of the new hires registered in the first five months of 2017 were permanent open-ended contracts, INPS said.
    This compared to 40.7% in the same period in 2015, when incentives for companies to hire some groups of people on permanent contracts were in force.