Portugal’s unemployment rate declined to 5.5% in May 2026, down from 5.7% in April and 6.2% a year earlier. The number of unemployed fell to 314,600, a decrease of 8,300 from the previous month. A persistent gender gap remained, with the unemployment rate at 6.0% for women versus 5.1% for men.
The employment rate inched up to 66.5% from 66.3% in the previous month, as the number of employed increased by 19,100 to 5.367 million. The inactivity rate eased to 29.6% from 29.7%, while the labour force expanded by 10,700 to 5.681 million. The labour underutilisation rate fell to 9.4%, from 9.7% in the previous month.
