The Vice-President of the Government stated today that the Government will "continue and reinforce" employment creation policies that have helped to reduce the number of unemployed in the Azores on a consistent basis. According to data released by the Employment and Vocational Training Institute (IEFP), it decreased  11 percent in November compared to the same month in 2015.
 
"The data now revealed by IEFP show that the number of registered unemployed in the Azores is the lowest of the last five years," stated Sérgio Ávila. He noted that "this reality demonstrates the consistency of the strategy undertaken by the Government of the Azores to create active measures and policies towards employment promotion."
 
The Agencies for Qualification and Employment recorded 9621 registrations in the Region in November. It is the lowest figure since November 2011, the year when registered unemployment began to drop consistently.
 
Sérgio Ávila also highlighted the fact that the IEFP data report to a month when there an increase in the number of registered unemployed due to the seasonal nature of some activity sectors.
 
"We have been able to maintain the reduction in unemployment even at a time when seasonality would, in the past, have caused a positive change in unemployment," said the government official.
 
For the Vice-President, this combination of factors "confirms that we are on the right track and that the measures undertaken should be continued." Therefore, we will continue to "progressively reduce unemployment in the Azores" and "ensure the creation of more jobs."
 
However, Sérgio Ávila stressed that "the measures taken and the results achieved do not allow us to face this reality only by its positive side." In this regard, he emphasised the need "to continue and reinforce measures so that we may continue to reduce, as we have done, unemployment on a consistent basis."