COVID-19 pandemic costs Italy nearly 1 mln jobs in 12 months: ISTAT

ROME, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The coronavirus pandemic has cost the Italian economy nearly one million jobs, said the country's National Statistics Institute (ISTAT) on Tuesday.

The institute recorded 22.2 million employed Italians by the end of February, a reduction of 945,000 compared to the same period a year earlier.

February of last year was the last month largely untouched by the coronavirus pandemic in Italy, which means ISTAT's data covers the first full year of the crisis.

ISTAT said the contraction of the job market was felt by both male and female workers, among dependents and the self-employed, and across all age groups.