During the second quarter additional 378,000 people remained jobless.

The unemployment rate in the second quarter grew at 7.4%, which represents the highest rate since 2005, as the fourth largest economy in the European Union still has not managed to get out of recession.

According to the State Statistical Office in Rome, during the second quarter additional 378,000 people remained jobless, and therefore the number of unemployed has grown up to 1.84 million compared to the 1.7 million in the second quarter last year.