Official figures indicate that the unemployment rate in Portugal fell to 7.9 percent in the first quarter of this year from 8.1 percent in the preceding quarter and 10.1 percent a year earlier, Reuters reports.
The news agency, citing data compiled by the Portuguese National Statistics Institute, says the number of unemployed decreased to 410,100 in the first quarter from 422,000 in the preceding quarter.
The report says the strength of the labour force, about 5.2 million, was little changed.
The youth unemployment rate fell to 21.9 percent, its lowest since early in 2011, from 23.5 percent, Reuters says.
