Italy jobless at new record high in headache for Renzi

Italy's unemployment rate hit a new record high in November, increasing pressure on Matteo Renzi as he struggles to implement reforms aimed at easing a downturn in the eurozone's third largest economy. The jobless rate rose to 13.4 percent in November, up 0.2 percentage points from October, data from the national statistics institute (ISTAT) showed on Wednesday. Youth unemployment also hit a record high, climbing to 43.9 percent, up 0.6 percentage points on a month earlier and 2.4 percentage points on a year.
The figures were just the latest bad news to hit Italy, which is battling to pull itself clear of the longest economic downturn since the Second World War. Italy's relentless downturn is fuelling criticism of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, whose efforts to rekindle growth have led to clashes with the unions.