According to figures by the IEFP, in March 59,559 people less were without work compared with the same month in 2018.


Those who contributed to the decline include adults aged 25 or older, citizens registered in employment centres for a year or more, people looking for their first job and less qualified people.


There were 35,207 unemployed people aged 25 or younger in March, corresponding to 7,052 less than those registered in March 2018.
In terms of long-term unemployment (people out of work for at least 12 months), the year-on-year fall was 23.1 percent, with 144,884 people currently facing this situation.


Portugal’s economy is recovering under Socialist Prime Minister António Costa after unemployment soared during the 2011 eurozone debt crisis, but its public debt - which stands at around 120 percent, is still among the highest in the EU.