The national unemployment rate was 8.0% in the November 2024–January 2025 (NDJ 2024), according to information from the National Employment Survey (ENE), which is produced by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

The decrease in the unemployment rate (-0.4%) was a result of the slower rate of growth in the labour force (0.8%) than in employed persons (1.3%).

The decrease in number of unemployed persons (-4.1%) was influenced by the falls in the redundant (-4.2%) and first-time job seekers (-2.8%).

Compared to the same period of the previous year, the participation rate showed no variation, remaining at 62.1%, and the employment rate increased 0.2 pp to stand at 57.1%.

The increase in the population outside the labour force (1.0%) was influenced by the rises in the routinely inactive (0.7%) and inactive persons who are potentially active (3.1%).

The unemployment rate for women increased 0.3 pp year on year to stand at 9.1%. The increase was due to the faster growth in the labour force (0.5%) than in employed women (0.2%). The number of unemployed women increased 4.5% during the period. For women, the participation rate fell 0.2 pp to stand at 52.7% and the employment rate fell 0.3 pp to stand at 47.9%. The number of women outside the labour force rose 1.3%.

The unemployment rate for men (7.2%) decreased 1.0 pp year on year as a result of the slower growth in the labour force (1.1%) than in employed men (2.2%). In the same period, the number of unemployed men fell 11.2%. For men, the participation rate rose 0.1 pp to stand at 71.8% and the employment rate rose 0.8 pp to stand at 66.7%. The number of men outside the labour force increased 0.5%.

Increase in employed persons

The estimated total number of employed persons increased 1.3% year on year as a result of the rises in both men (2.2%) and women (0.2%).

By economic sector, the expansion in the employed population was influenced by the rises in health activities (5.7%), public administration (7.2%), and transport (5.7%). By occupational category, the expansion was influenced by the rises in formal wage earners (2.9%) and informal wage earners (0.9%).

Labour informality

The informal employment rate fell 1.3 pp year on year to stand at 26.3%. In the same period, the decrease in informally employed persons (-3.4%) was influenced by the falls in women (-3.8%) and men (-3.1%). By economic sector, the decrease in the informally employed can mainly be attributed to the falls in commerce (-7.9%) and manufacturing (-12.9%). By occupational category, the decrease was influenced by the falls in own-account workers (-5.3%) and unpaid family workers (-17.6%).

Seasonality

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (which eliminates the effects of exogenous seasonal factors of a non-economic nature that influence its current behavior) stood at 8.3%, a decrease of 0.2 pp compared to the previous moving quarter.

Working hours and indicators of labour underutilization

The volume of work, as measured by the quantity of hours per week actually worked by employed persons, decreased 0.3% year on year, and the average number of hours worked decreased 1.5% to stand at 36.9 hours. Men worked an average of 39.4 hours, and women worked an average of 33.5 hours.

The combined rate of unemployment and the potential labour force decreased 0.2 pp to stand at 16.4%. The rates for men and women were 13.8% and 19.6%, respectively. The gender gap was 5.8 pp.

Metropolitan Region  

In the Metropolitan Region, the unemployment rate for the November 2024–January 2025 quarter decreased 0.4 pp year on year to stand at 8.7%. In the same period, the estimated total number of employed persons increased 1.0%. By economic sector, the main influences on this increase were the rises in public administration (13.1%), professional activities (12.8%), and health activities (5.4%).


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