While eurozone unemployment fell slightly to 11.7% in April, Portugal made the greatest strides in reducing its rate.
In March 2013, the jobless rate was 17.3% but by April this year it was down to 14.6%. There was a steady decline over the months.
This meant, however, that 753,000 people in the nation were still without work by the end of April this year.
Despite the dramatic fall, Portugal has the fourth highest level of unemployment in the 18 eurozone countries. Higher rates were recorded only in Greece, Spain, and Cyprus.
Portuguese youth fared a little bit better than they had, but not as well as the overall Portuguese population. Unemployment had hit 40.3% in March 2013 but it had come down to 36% by April this year.
By April there were 141,000 young people without jobs.
Youth unemployment here is probably the fifth highest in the euro area –Spain suffers 53.5% and Italy 43%. Figures for Greece and Cyprus are not yet available, but the most recent figures in February 2013 showed 56% for Greece and 42% for Cyprus.
The overall eurozone average for unemployment among youths stood at 23.5%, both a shameful and dangerous situation.
In all, some 18.75 million men and women in the eurozone had no jobs. During the month of March 2014, however, 76,000 people found work and over the course of the year 487,000 were able to get employed.
