Thousands took to the streets the Italian capital Rome against the policies of the new coalition government led by center-left PM Enrico Letta.

The protesters, who were led by trade unionists, urged Letta to scrap austerity measures and focus on job creation, the BBC informs.

Opinion polls suggest that public trust in the Prime Minister’s fragile coalition with the centre-right is dropping.

The country is experiencing its longest recession in more than 40 years.

National debt is now about 127% of annual economic output, second only to Greece in the eurozone. Unemployment is at a record high of 11.5% - 38% for the under-25s.

Letta promised to make jobs his top priority when he came to power in April after two months of political deadlock.