The number of unemployed people registered with the services of the Institute of Employment and Professional Training (IEFP) decreased in February, both in relation to the previous month and in relation to the same period last year, according to data released this Monday, March 23.
At the end of the month, there were 305,179 unemployed people, which represents a reduction of 33,556 people (-9.9%) compared to February 2025 and a drop of 5,529 registered people (-1.8%) compared to January.
The drop was widespread across all regions in year-on-year terms, with the Azores recording the most pronounced contraction (-13.7%).
In the monthly comparison, there were exceptions, with Centro and Azores showing increases in the number of subscribers compared to January (+0.6% and +0.2%, respectively).
By activity sector, registered unemployment fell by 12.7% in agriculture, 6.2% in industry and 3.5% in services, pointing to a transversal, albeit uneven, improvement in the labor market.
In parallel, unfulfilled job offers registered in public services totaled 14,294 at the end of February 2026, an increase of 1,750 vacancies (+14%) in annual terms and 2,843 (+24.8%) compared to January.
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