Italy's unemployment rate fell to 5.6% of the labor force in the third quarter of 2006, its lowest since 1992, national statistics bureau Istat reported on Thursday.
The number of people looking for work in the third quarter was put at 1,410,000, a drop of 88,000 or 0.4% from the same period last year.
The decline in unemployment was nationwide, Istat added, falling to 3.3% in the north, 4.7% in central Italy and 10.3 in the south.
The latest decline was the 18th consecutive quarterly drop, starting in the second quarter of 2003. Half of the people looking for work were in the south, 759,000, while unemployed numbered 404,000 in the north and 238,000 in central Italy.
The number of people holding jobs in the third quarter rose by 416,000 or 1.8%, compared to the same period last year.
Almost have of those finding employment were non-Italians, Istat said.
