LISBON: The number of unemployed people enrolled in job centres throughout the country has fallen to the lowest figure in seven years. Last month, for the first time since July 2009, there were fewer than 500,000 people on job centres’ books.
The number of unemployed people registered with the Portuguese Employment and Professional Training Institute (IEFP) fell by 6.6 percent in July to 497,663 and below the 500,000 mark for the first time since July 2009, according to the IEFP. Monthly figures issued on Monday this week showed the number of unemployed people registered with the IEFP was the lowest since July 2009 when it totalled 496,683 people.
From June to July this year the number of unemployed fell by 2.7 percent, which is a drop of close to 14,000 people. People registered as unemployed for less than a year fell by 4.9 percent year-on-year and those registered for over a year fell by 8.3 percent.
