Portugal’s Unemployment Rate at Over Two-Decade Low

2026-01-29 11:23 By Joana Ferreira 1 min. read

Portugal’s unemployment rate edged down to 5.6% in December 2025 from 5.7% in November, marking its lowest level since February 2002.

The adult unemployment rate stood at 4.7%, the lowest since April 2002, while youth unemployment fell 0.5 percentage points to 18.4%.

The total number of unemployed declined by 3.4 thousand to 314.8 thousand, while employment rose by 16.7 thousand, reaching a record high of 5.317 million.

The employment rate climbed to an all-time high of 65.9%, and the labor force participation rate increased to 69.8%, near its historical peak.

Meanwhile, the labor underutilization rate, which includes the unemployed, marginally attached workers, and part-time workers seeking full-time employment, slightly decreased to 9.7% in December from 9.8% in November.



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Portugal’s Unemployment Rate at Over Two-Decade Low
Portugal’s unemployment rate edged down to 5.6% in December 2025 from 5.7% in November, marking its lowest level since February 2002. The adult unemployment rate stood at 4.7%, the lowest since April 2002, while youth unemployment fell 0.5 percentage points to 18.4%. The total number of unemployed declined by 3.4 thousand to 314.8 thousand, while employment rose by 16.7 thousand, reaching a record high of 5.317 million. The employment rate climbed to an all-time high of 65.9%, and the labor force participation rate increased to 69.8%, near its historical peak. Meanwhile, the labor underutilization rate, which includes the unemployed, marginally attached workers, and part-time workers seeking full-time employment, slightly decreased to 9.7% in December from 9.8% in November.
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