Youth unemployment rose by 8.6% in October compared to the same month last year, making it the age group with the highest growth. There are now 35,399 unemployed people under the age of 25 registered with employment agencies, 2,813 more than a year ago and 1,930 more than last September. The data comes from the Institute of Employment and Professional Training (IEFP) and shows that the number of unemployed overall rose for the fourth month in a row in October, with year-on-year increases of 4.9% and 1.1% compared to September.
A total of 303,356 people are registered in National Employment Centers in Portugal, a figure that represents 66.3% of the 457,753 applications registered last month. There are 14,231 more people unemployed than in October 2022 and 3,243 more than last September.
Women represent more than half of the unemployed, more precisely 57%, for a total of 172,790, with a year-on-year increase of 4.5% (7,499 more) and 0.1% compared to September (108 more). In percentage terms, male unemployment growth was 5.4% compared to October 2022, with 6,732 more cases recorded. Compared to September, the number increased by 2.5%, by 3,135 more, for a total of 130,566 unemployed men.
The IEFP says that for the increase recorded in October, in absolute variation, compared to the same period last year, those who were registered less than twelve months ago contributed, with a further 21,337 people, corresponding to an increase of 12.8%. “In the opposite direction, there has been a decrease in the number of people registered for 12 or more months in the Employment Mediation File (-7106),” the report reads.
The North region alone is home to 39.8% of the unemployed in Portugal. Lisbon and Vale do Tejo have 33.2% and the Center 14%. Alentejo weighs 5% and Algarve 4%. The Azores have 1.6% and Madeira 2.4%.
For example, there are a total of 187,462 unemployed people who have been registered for less than a year, compared to the 115,894 who have been unemployed for longer.
The number of couples in which both partners are unemployed has also increased. “Of the total number of unemployed people who are married or in a de facto union, 9454 (7.9%) also have a record of their spouse also being registered as unemployed with the Labor Department, a total of 4727 unemployed couples, as of October 2023, which amounts to at + 3.6%, compared to the same period of the previous year,” says the IEFP. Couples who are in a situation of double unemployment and have dependent minors are entitled to a 10% increase in unemployment benefits.
In terms of data by region, October saw a year-on-year increase in unemployment across the continent, with the Algarve recording the highest rate, up 8.9%. On the islands, unemployment fell by 14.2% in October in the Azores, compared to the same month last year, and by 26.6% in Madeira.
Regarding the origin of the unemployed, in terms of economic activity, the IEFP explains that of the 260,664 unemployed people registered as candidates for a new job at the end of October, “72.5% had worked in activities in the “services” sector “, with an emphasis on “real estate, administrative and support services activities), representing 32.6%; 20% came from the “secondary” sector, with particular emphasis on “construction” (6.1 %); 4.7% of the unemployed belonged to the agricultural sector. The number of unemployed therefore shows, compared to the same month last year, an increase of 4.4% in the agricultural sector, 7.6% in the secondary sector and 6, 7% in the sector. tertiary sector. .
Ilídia Pinto is a journalist for Dinheiro Vivo
Source: DN
