Lisbon, Aug. 6, 2025 (Lusa) - The unemployment rate in Portugal stood at 5.9% in the second quarter, 0.7 percentage points below the previous quarter and 0.2 percentage points lower than in the same period of 2024, the National Statistics Institute (INE) announced on Wednesday.
According to the INE, between April and June, the unemployed population, estimated at 329,500 people, fell by 9.9% (36,300) compared to the previous quarter and by 0.8% (2,500) compared to the same quarter last year.
The youth unemployment rate (16 to 24 years old), estimated at 18.1%, decreased compared to the previous quarter (3.1 percentage points) and the same period last year (3.9 percentage points).
The labour underutilisation rate was estimated at 10.1%, representing a decrease of 1.0 percentage point compared to the previous quarter and 0.5 percentage points compared to the same quarter last year.
The year-on-year decline in the unemployed population was mainly due to decreases in the following population groups: men (6,700; 4.3%); people aged 16 to 24 (11,800; 15.1%); those who had completed at most the 3rd cycle (years 1-12) of basic education (16,300; 11.8%); those seeking their first job (5,200; 11.1%); and those unemployed for 12 months or more (3,900; 3.0%).In the second quarter, 38.3% of the unemployed population had been unemployed for 12 months or more (long-term unemployment), a figure 1.4 percentage points higher than in the previous quarter and 0.9 percentage points lower than in the same quarter of the previous year.
The inactive population aged 16 and over stood at 3,753,000, an increase of 0.1% (2,200) compared to the previous quarter, but a decrease of 0.1% (2,600) compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
In the second quarter, the employed population was estimated at 5,248,300 people, again reaching the highest figure in the series started in 2011, having increased by 1.3% (66,900) compared to the previous quarter and 2.9% (148,400) compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
The employment rate stood at 57.1%, 0.5 percentage points above the first quarter of 2025 and 0.8 percentage points higher than in the second quarter of 2024.
The year-on-year change in the employed population was mainly due to increases in the following aggregates: men (80,900; 3.1%); people aged 25 to 34 (54,700; 5.5%); with secondary or post-secondary education (127,900; 7.8%); those employed in the service sector (123,200; 3.3%), particularly in wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, transport and storage, accommodation, restaurants and similar activities), whose increase (63,300; 4.9%) accounted for 51.4% of the change in the sector.
The increase in the employed population was also driven by the contribution of employees (103,600; 2.4%), with permanent contracts (108,000; 3.0%); and full-time (146,600; 3.1%).
According to INE, from April to June, the proportion of the population employed in remote working was 20.9% (1,095,800 people), the same as in the first quarter and 0.6 percentage points higher than in the second quarter of 2024.
PD/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
