At the end of September, the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP) reported 302,600 registered unemployed individuals in mainland Portugal and the autonomous regions, representing 69.2% of a total of 437,080 job applications.
This figure represents a decrease of 8,149 registered job seekers compared to September 2024, attributed to reductions in those registered for less than 12 months (-8,219), those searching for new employment (-8,440), and individuals over 25 years old (-7,981).
On a month-on-month basis, compared to August, September saw an increase of 962 individuals registered with employment centers.
This marks the second consecutive month of rising unemployment figures on a month-on-month basis, following six consecutive months of decline. In July, similar to the previous month, the number of registered individuals at employment centers reached the lowest figure in two years.
Regarding the professional groups of unemployed individuals registered on the mainland, the most represented sectors in September, in descending order, were “unqualified workers” (28.4%); “personal service, security service, and sales workers” (19.4%); “intellectual and scientific activities specialists” (12.4%); and “administrative staff” (10.5%).
Considering the professional groups with the most significant expression among the unemployed compared to the same period last year, the IEFP highlights a decrease among “farmers and qualified agricultural, forestry, and fishery workers” (-17%), “administrative staff” (-11.2%), “technicians and middle-level professionals” (-8.3%), and “qualified industry, construction, and craft workers” (-6.5%).
Conversely, there was an increase in unemployment among “legislative power representatives, executive bodies, directors, managers, and executive managers” (+14.1%) and “unqualified workers” (+4.2%).
In regional terms, in September, unemployment decreased year-on-year in all areas except the Center, Alentejo, and Algarve, with the most significant decline occurring in Madeira (-18.5%).
In comparison to the previous month, September recorded an increase in unemployment in all regions except Lisbon and Vale do Tejo and the Azores.
By the end of the month under analysis, the number of job vacancies listed nationwide reached 18,799, marking an increase in the annual comparison (+6,846; +57.3%) and compared to the previous month (+40; +0.2%).
