The number of unemployed people registered at employment centers increased by 4% in January.

The number of unemployed people registered with job centers increased for the seventh month in a row in January, up 4% year-on-year and 5.5% quarter-on-quarter to 335,053, according to data released Tuesday by the IEFP.

According to the Institute for Employment and Training (IEFP), 335,053 people were registered in employment centers on the continent and in the autonomous regions in January, accounting for 69.1% of the total 484,942 job applications.

This value represents an increase of 4% (+12,967 people) compared to January 2023 and 5.5% (+19,398 people) compared to December.

“The absolute deviation increase in registered unemployment compared to the same month in 2023 includes those registered less than 12 months ago (+18,119), those with secondary education (+15,093) and those looking for a new job (+12,907),” the IEFP details.

As for the number of registered unemployed young people (under 25 years of age), in January it increased by 5.8% (+2047) compared to the same month in 2023, and along the chain it increased by 7.3% (+2533), for a total of 37,444 people, representing 11.2% of the total.

At the regional level, in January this year, with the exception of the Azores (-12.9%) and Madeira (-24.3%), unemployment increased year on year, with the highest rate in the Alentejo region (+10.3%). %).

Regarding the previous month, the IEFP notes that “with the exception of Madeira, there is an increasing trend in unemployment, with the largest fluctuations observed in the region of Lisbon and the Tagus Valley (+8.2%).”

During the analyzed month, 59,218 unemployed people were registered with employment services across the country, which is more than was observed in the same month of 2023 (+3,377, +6%) and the previous month (+15,136; +34.3%). ).

Job offers received during January totaled 10,083 nationwide, down from the same month in 2023 (-890; -8.1%) and higher than the previous month (+2,021; +25 ,1%).

The most representative occupational groups of registered unemployed on the continent in January were “unskilled workers” (32.3%), “service workers, security workers and sales workers” (13.7%) and “skilled industrial, construction and craft workers”. (12.1%).

Relative to the same month in 2023 and taking into account more pronounced occupational groups, there is an increase in unemployment, in most occupational groups, with a focus on “unskilled workers” (+8.7%) and on “installers and assemblers”. machine operators and assemblers” (+8.5%).

Regarding the economic activities that caused unemployment, of the 293,452 unemployed people who were registered as candidates for new employment with the mainland employment offices at the end of the analyzed month, 73.2% worked in the “service” sector. with a focus on “real estate, administrative and support services activities” (representing 32.7%).

19.3% came from the “secondary” sector, with a particular emphasis on “construction” (6.1%), and 5% of the unemployed belonged to the “agricultural” sector.

According to the IEFP, unemployment shows, compared to the same month in 2023, an increase in the main sectors of the economy: “agricultural” (+6.7%), “secondary” (+5.6%) and “tertiary” . (+5.7%).

As for job offers subject to execution, at the end of January 2024 they amounted to 10,723, which corresponds to a decrease in the number of job offers in the annual analysis (-1,601; -13.0%) and an increase compared to the previous month of +370 ; +3.6%).