The number of people enrolled in training courses or those with incapacity to work due to illness soared to 131,350 in June, up 44% from January this year, according to data from the Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional (IEFP).

This evolution may partly explain the sharp drop in unemployment records: since the beginning of the year, they have fallen by 20% to 282,453, that is, there are 73,415 fewer registered. Compared to the same month of 2021, the decrease was even greater, of 25.3%, that is, there was a decrease of 95,419 unemployed.

The Ministry of Labour said in a statement that "unemployment has reached its lowest level ever". And Prime Minister, António Costa, said, during the debate on the State of the Nation in Parliament, that Portugal is on a "good path", taking into account that "June recorded the best result of the last 20 years".

From a geographical point of view, the IEFP said that, in June, unemployment decreased "in all regions of the country", with special emphasis on the Algarve, with a year-on-year reduction of 51.2%, and the Autonomous Region of Madeira, which now has 42.8% fewer registered unemployed. Conversely, it is in the Autonomous Region of the Azores and in the Centre that the smallest drops can be seen, of 8.7% and 17.9%, respectively.

The North, with 108,642 recorded, is in first place in the ranking of regions with the highest number of unemployed. Lisbon and the Tagus Valley follow with 97,530 and the Centre with 37,349. The least registered areas are the Azores (5978), the Algarve (9782), the Autonomous Region of Madeira (10,904) and the Alentejo (12 268).