(ANSA) - Rome, July 31 - Italy's unemployment rate edged lower in June to 12.3% compared with a 12.6% rate in May, national statistical agency Istat reported Thursday. The statistics agency said that in recent months, the country had managed to "stop the bleeding of jobs".

However, the country's youth unemployment rate rose to 43.7% in June from a revised 43.1% in May, Istat.

The agency added that the jobless rate among young people aged 15 to 24 had touched its highest level since the agency began keeping quarterly jobs statistics in 1977 and monthly stats a decade ago.

The agency's estimates are preliminary and subject to revision. Istat also noted that the overall jobless rate was 0.1% higher in June than during the same period last year.

The high rate of youth joblessness has been a particular concern for the Italian government, as it struggles to devise policies to improve employment opportunities.

The country is still trying to pull itself out of the worst recession since the Second World War. Istat said Italy's national employment rate stood at 55.7% in June.

