The national unemployment rate was 8.2% in the September–November 2024 quarter (SON 2024), according to information from the National Employment Survey (ENE), which is produced by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

The decrease in the national unemployment rate (-0.5 pp) was due to the slower growth in the labour force (1.0%) than in employed persons (1.6%). The decrease in number of unemployed persons (-4.9%) was influenced by the falls in the redundant (-5.3%) and first-time job seekers (-0.9%).

Compared to the same period in the previous year, the participation rate increased 0.1 pp to stand at 61.6% and the employment rate increased 0.4 pp to stand at 56.5%. In the same period, the increase in the population outside the labour force (0.7%) can exclusively be attributed to the rise in inactive persons who are potentially active (10.3%).

The unemployment rate for women increased 0.1 pp year on year to stand at 9.1%. The increase was due to the faster growth in the labour force (1.2%) than in employed women (1.1%). In the same period, the number of unemployed women increased 1.8%. For women, the participation rate rose 0.2 pp to stand at 52.4% and the employment rate rose 0.1 pp to stand at 47.6%. The number of women outside the labour force increased 0.6%.

The unemployment rate for men (7.5%) decreased 1.0 pp year on year as a result of the slower growth in the labour force (0.9%) than in employed men (2.0%). The number of unemployed men fell 10.4%. For men, the participation rate fell 0.1 pp to stand at 71.1% and the employment rate rose 0.7 pp to stand at 65.8%. The number of men outside the labour force increased 0.9%.

Increase in employed persons

The year-on-year increase in the estimated total number of employed persons (1.6%) was due to the rises in both men (2.0%) and women (1.1%).

By economic sector, the expansion in the employed population was influenced by the rises in health activities (9.0%), professional activities (8.7%), and education (3.6%). By occupational category, the expansion was influenced by the rises in formal wage earners (3.1%) and informal wage earners (4.3%).

Labour informality

The informal employment rate fell 0.6 pp year on year to stand at 26.9%. The decrease in the number of informally employed persons (-0.5%) can exclusively be attributed to the fall in men (-2.0%). By economic sector, the decrease can mainly be attributed to the falls in commerce (-4.5%) and other service activities (-8.0%). By occupational category, the decrease was influenced by the falls in own-account workers (-3.5%) and unpaid family workers (-9.3%).

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 8.4%, a decrease of 0.1 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 1.2% year on year while the average number of hours worked fell 2.6% to stand at 36.4 hours. Men worked an average of 38.7 hours, and women worked an average of 33.5 hours.

The combined rate of unemployment and the potential labour force increased 0.1 pp year on year to stand at 16.4%. The rates for men and women were 14.0% and 19.5%, respectively. The gender gap was 5.5 pp.

Metropolitan Region 

In the Metropolitan Region, the unemployment rate for the September–November 2024 quarter decreased 1.1 pp year on year to stand at 8.6%. In the same period, the estimated total number of employed persons increased 1.3%. By economic sector, the increase was mainly influenced by the rises in education (14.0%) and health activities (10.0%).

Unit of analysis Worker association in the main activity

In accordance with the institutional objectives of increasing the number of statistical products, innovating in their production, and contributing to the country's decision-making process through the delivery of timely and quality information, the National Statistics Institute (INE) has announced the dissemination of experimental statistics on worker participation in labour organizations in the main activity.

This new dimension of analysis is among the objectives of the ENE to characterize occupations. In this case, the analysis concerns the existence of labour association in the main activity through five kinds of association: trade unions, public-sector unions, trade associations, professional associations, and other associations.

This new dimension introduces a new indicator called the labour association rate in the main activity, which is the percentage of the employed population that participates in at least one of these organizations in their main activity. This indicator provides an important new tool for the analysis of worker association and its impact on the labour market, and it thus complements other national structural indicators, which are based on administrative records.

The following products related to this new dimension will be published:

Variables in the databases since the JAS 2017 quarter, and annual databases from 2018 onwards.

A statistical table with estimates at various levels of disaggregation (region, sex, economic sector, occupational group, and occupational category). Experimental Statistics Section.

Technical supplement no. 5 New Dimensions of Analysis in the National Employment Survey (ENE).