Rome, March 13 - Italy's employment rate climbed for the fourth consecutive year in 2017, with a rise of 265,000 people in work taking it up to 58%, ISTAT said on Tuesday. The national statistics agency said this was the highest level since 2009. It added, however, that it was still 0.7 of a percentage below the peak reached at the start of the economic crisis in 2008. It said 23.23 million people were in work last year.