(ANSA) - Rome, March 31 - The rise in unemployment in February is due exclusively to a reduction in the size of the female workforce, national statistics institute Istat said Tuesday.
The number of men in employment was "substantially stable" with respect to January while the number of women in work fell by 42,000, Istat said.
Female unemployment rose to 14.1% in February, the agency added.
This represented a 0.3% rise over the previous month and a 0.9% increase over February 2014. Earlier Istat said unemployment climbed to 12.7% in February after falling over two consecutive months.
Female workforce drives Feb jobless hike
Women workers down 42,000 over January, Istat says