No of employed above pre-crisis level

(ANSA) - Rome, September 12 - ISTAT said Wednesday that the number of people in work in Italy climbed back up to the level of before the economic crisis in the second quarter of 2018 and rose above it. The national statistics agency said that the number of employed people increased by 203,000 in the second quarter compared to the previous three months and by 387,000 with respect to the same period in 2017.
    It said the year-on-year rise was driven by people hired on temporary contracts, up 390,000, while of the number of self-employed increased 30,000 and the number on permanent, open-ended contracts dropped by 33,000.
    In the second quarter "the number of employed people reached and surpassed that of the second quarter of 2008" ISTAT said.
    The agency said the employment rate for people aged 15-64 returned to the same level as the second quarter 2018, 59.1%, according to data not adjusted for seasonal variations.