The number of unemployed registered in the Agencies for Qualification and Employment dropped 9.9 percent in December. According to data published today by the Employment and Vocational Training Institute (IEFP), this figure represents the lowest value of the last six years.
 
The decrease registered in December corresponds to 955 fewer registered unemployed compared to the same month in 2016.
 
According to IEFP data, and maintaining the trend of previous months, it is necessary to go back to October 2011 to find a lower figure than that registered in the month under analysis.
 
The Agencies for Qualification and Employment of the Azores registered 8,656 unemployed, while there were 13,208 registered unemployed in December 2013.
 
From the moment when the highest number of unemployed was registered in the Region, there has been a consistent and steady reduction in the Azores.
 
The IEFP data also show that, in the last six years, 2017 was the year when the lowest number of registrations in regional employment agencies.
 
This progressive and consistent reduction in registered unemployment is the result of actions developed by Azorean companies and workers in conjunction the public measures to support the creation of more and better jobs as well as the sustained growth of the regional economy.