The Regional Director for Employment and Vocational Training highlighted the data released by the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP) regarding January, which show the Azores as the second region of the country where unemployment fell the most, compared to the same period of the previous year. 

"According to IEFP, unemployment in the Azores decreased by 9.3% in January, compared to the same month of 2019, which evidences that Azores registered the second highest decline in the country, immediately after the Norte region," stressed Paula Andrade. 

The Regional Director added that, with regard to December 2019, the Azores are the only region in the country where there is "a drop in unemployment." 

Paula Andrade spoke at the end of a visit to the recently opened Rural Tourism project "Sensi Azores Nature & SPA." On the occasion, she mentioned that the data released by IEFP show that "there were 6,973 unemployed in January, i.e., 712 fewer Azoreans looking for a first or new job," thus reflecting the "continuous and sustained integration of Azoreans into the labour market." 

"These data also reveal the Regional Government's efforts to intensify the integration of the Azoreans covered by occupational measures into the labour market," said the government official. 

Regarding long-term unemployment, there was a significant reduction of 18.4% in January, compared to the same month of the previous year.
 
Likewise, the number of unemployed under 25 years of age registered a similar trend, representing a 13.3% decrease in just one year.
 
As for the job placement ratio, i.e., the ratio of job responses to job advertisements, this figure stood at 88.2% in January. 

"These results, being in line with the data released by the National Statistics Institute (INE), show the dynamics of the labour market and the implementation of active employment policies, demonstrating the effectiveness of the measures implemented by the Regional Government," stressed Paula Andrade.