31.03.202610:36:36UTC+00Portugal’s Unemployment Ticks Up in February

Portugal’s unemployment rate rose to 5.8% in February 2026, ending a run of record lows after hitting 5.6% in January. The impact was uneven across demographic groups: the unemployment rate for women climbed to 6.4%, compared with 5.2% for men, preserving a 1.2 percentage-point gap between the two.

Among adults, the unemployment rate inched up to 4.9%, slightly above the 4.7% recorded between November 2025 and January 2026. In contrast, youth unemployment fell to 18.2%, its lowest level since October 2022.

The total number of unemployed increased by 12,300, reaching 328,100, while total employment declined by 13,500 to 5.29 million. As a result, the employment rate slipped to 65.6%, down from January’s record high of 65.8%, and the labor force participation rate edged down to 69.7% from 69.8%.

The labor underutilization rate—which includes the unemployed, marginally attached workers, and part-time workers seeking full-time jobs—also ticked up, rising to 9.7% from 9.6%.