“The unemployment rate was estimated at 5.3%, a figure 0.8 percentage points lower than in the previous quarter and 0.6 percentage points lower compared to the same quarter of the previous year, marking the lowest level since the series began in 2011,” the INE stated.

Between April and June, the employed population (5,399.8 thousand people) rose by 1.9% (99.0 thousand) compared to the previous quarter and by 2.9% (151.5 thousand) compared to the same quarter of the previous year, reaching its highest level since the first quarter of 2011.

Meanwhile, the unemployed population, estimated at 300.8 thousand people, fell by 13.1% (45.5 thousand) compared to the previous quarter and by 8.7% (28.7 thousand) compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

The year-on-year change in the unemployed population was driven primarily by decreases among women (18.0 thousand; 10.0%); people aged 25 to 34 (17.3 thousand; 19.1%); those with a maximum education level of the third cycle of basic education (21.0 thousand; 17.3%); those seeking a new job (31.2 thousand; 10.9%); and those unemployed for less than 12 months (14.7 thousand; 7.2%) or for 12 months or more (14.0 thousand; 11.1%). The youth unemployment rate (aged 16 to 24) was estimated at 18.3%, a decrease of 0.8 percentage points from the previous quarter and an increase of 0.2 percentage points from the same quarter of the previous year.

In the second quarter, labour underutilization affected 525.8 thousand people, down 10.6% (62.2 thousand) from the previous quarter and 8.2% (47.3 thousand) below the figure for the same period of the previous year.

The labour underutilization rate, estimated at 9.1%, fell by 1.1 percentage points compared to the previous quarter and by 1.0 percentage point year-on-year; both indicators reached their lowest levels since 2011.

In the quarter under review, the inactive population aged 16 and over (3,712.1 thousand) decreased by 0.7% (26.7 thousand) compared to the previous quarter and by 1.1% (40.9 thousand) compared to the same quarter of the previous year.