ROME, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Italy's economic recovery continued in the second quarter this year, national statistics agency Istat said in its latest monthly bulletin released Friday.
The agency said that in "a context of world trade expansion" and consolidating eurozone growth, the Italian economy is powering ahead on a growing industrial sector and falling unemployment.
Industrial production grew by 0.2 percent in the quarter from March to May compared to the previous quarter, with the biggest gains posted in durable consumer goods (3.8 percent) and capital goods (2.1 percent), Istat said.
In June, the unemployment rate declined to 11.1 percent from 11.3 percent in May, with the new jobs distributed equally among men and women and among all age classes.
Second-quarter employment grew by 0.3 percent, equal to 64,000 new jobs compared to the previous quarter, with more women (0.4 percent) getting hired than men (0.2 percent).
Expectations about employment for the coming months remain optimistic, especially in manufacturing and construction, according to Istat.
Foreign trade was also positive with a second-quarter increase in both exports (2 percent) and imports (1.5 percent).
Also on a positive note, more Italians could afford to go on holiday this year than in 2016, according to national hotels federation Federalberghi.
More than 34 million Italians or 56.6 percent of the population will be on the move this summer, up by 3.2 percent over the summer of 2016.
This is expected to generate turnover of 22 billion euros (25.8 billion U.S. dollars), up by 2.2 percent compared to last year and adding up to an "excellent performance" for the sector, Federalberghi chief Bernabo Bocca said in a statement.
