Portuguese unemployment falls to lowest since 2004

LISBON, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese unemployment in November 2017 fell to its lowest level since November 2004, the National Statistics Institute (INE) announced on Tuesday.

The INE's reading of 8.1 percent was a 0.1 percentage point revision down of an earlier estimate. Thus unemployment in November was 0.3 percentage points lower than in October.

The INE also released a provisional reading for December of 7.8 percent. The last time Portuguese unemployment stood below 8 percent was July 2004.

By comparison, the unemployment in December 2016 was 10.2 percent.

Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa told local reporters here that the figures "signify that we must continue to implement policies that have brought good economic growth, more investment, more exports and a strong reduction in unemployment."

Costa nevertheless recognized that the unemployment rate "has to come down further." Enditem