Portugal’s unemployment rate fell to 5.5% in May 2026 from 5.7% in the previous month, and compared with 6.2% a year earlier. The number of unemployed stood at 314,600, a decrease of 8,300 from the previous month. A persistent gender gap remained, with the unemployment rate for women at 6%, compared with 5.1% for men. Meanwhile, the employment rate edged up to 66.5% from 66.3% in the previous month, with the number of employed rising by 19,100 to 5.367 million. The inactivity rate declined to 29.6% from 29.7%, while the labour force increased by 10,700 to 5.681 million. The labour underutilisation rate stood at 9.4%, down from 9.7% in the previous month.