GDP in South up after 7-year recession (2)

(ANSA) - Rome, June 27 - Italian statistics bureau Istat said Monday that GDP in southern Italy grew 1% in 2015, the first rise in seven years.
    ''The South registered its first GDP growth'' after a seven-year-long recession, Istat said.
    GDP in 2015 grew 0.8% in north-eastern Italy, 0.2% in the Center and 1% in the North-West.
    Istat said employment in southern Italy grew 1.5% in 2015, over twice the national average.
    Overall, employment grew 0.6% in Italy, rising 1.5% in the South and 0.5% in the North-West and Center while recording a 0.5% drop in the North-East, Istat said.