COVID-19's unemployment impact less severe in Italy-EU study

(ANSA) - ROME, APR 8 - The impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on unemployment was less severe in Italy than in other EU member States, which was probably an effect of the ban on dismissals introduced after the health emergency broke out, according to a new study.
    Unemployment in the EU's regions has increased by 12.13% compared to pre-COVID levels, researchers from the ESPON European cooperation programme specialised in regional analysis wrote in the study.
    But the impact was different from state to state, they said.
    Some countries, such as the Baltic states (48.21%) and the Czech Republic, were hit extremely hard by the crisis.
    These states suffered significant job losses that put an end to the strong economic growth trends registered in the years before the pandemic.
    Italy and France, on the other hand, registered unemployment rises of 6.5% and 4% respectively, lower than in other countries.
    The ban on dismissing employees introduced in Italy, unique in Europe, could explain this.
    The ban expired in July 2021 for big companies and in October for small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular in the services, textiles, fashion and shoe sectors.
    In France, meanwhile, the government's 'whatever it takes' policy certainly helped soften the effects of the crisis, the study said. (ANSA).