Italy's unemployment rate decreased marginally to a series record low in May, preliminary figures from the statistical office ISTAT showed on Thursday.
The seasonally adjusted jobless rate stood at 5% percent, down from April's 5.1%. Meanwhile, economists had expected the rate to remain stable at 5.1%.
In the corresponding month last year, the unemployment rate was 6.5%.
The number of unemployed people decreased by 22,000 to 1.278 million in May compared to a month ago.
Data showed that the employment rate dropped to 63% from 63.1%, reflecting a decline of 22,000 employed people compared to the previous month.
