In a statement issued on Wednesday, Statistics Portugal (INE) said that 350,900 people were out of work in 2020, 11,400 more than a year earlier, reports Xinhua news agency.
The unemployment rate was the highest, 22.6 percent, among young people aged 15 to 24 years, an increase of 4.3 percentage points year-on-year.
According to the INE, the figures were "influenced by the current situation determined by the Covid-19 pandemic" and "the behavioural changes resulting from the measures taken to safeguard public health".
"Likewise, the (economic) measures adopted by the government in the context of the pandemic covered a large number of people who, even though they were in a layoff regime, were classified as employed because they continue to earn more than 50 percent of their usual salary," the INE explained.
Meanwhile, Portugal has so far reported a total of 14,718 coronavirus deaths and 774,889 cases.
Lisbon, Feb 11
Portugal's annual unemployment rate was 6.8 per cent in 2020, an increase of 0.3 percentage point compared to 2019, according to official data.
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