The number of unemployed registered at regional employment centres has dropped for the third consecutive month. According to data released by the National Government, there were less 1,193 unemployed on the last day of July compared to the end of April.

Commenting of the data released, the Vice-President of the Government of the Azores considered that the successive reduction of the number of unemployed in the Region is "encouraging news for the Azores and the Azorean people as well as a stimulus to continue fighting against unemployment."

"We still have many unemployed, but the 1,193 Azoreans that have found work over the last three months give us strength to do everything within our reach so the 11,836 unemployed registered at employment centres may also find a satisfactory solution for their professional activity in the near future," said Sérgio Ávila.

The Vice-President stressed the fact that it has been possible "to consecutively reduce the number of unemployed" over the last three months, but we are "aware that there is still much to do and, therefore, we must regard the data with caution, although statistics seem to indicate that we are on the right path."

"The satisfaction of noting that a growing a number of Azoreans are able to find work give us courage to pursue, relentlessly, the implementation of the measures provided in the Azorean Agenda for Employment Creation and Business Competitiveness," said the President of the Government.

"With the reduction of unemployment, at a rate we consider satisfactory, but without euphoria, the sustainability of family budgets is reinforced as well as the sustainability of companies and the regional economy will be able to resume its rate of development," noted Sérgio Ávila.