Mass redundancies up 22% in worst year since 2014

The number of companies in Portugal making mass redundancies in the first two months of 2025 had risen 22% like-for-like on 2024 to 1,204 employees – the highest number since 2014 when the troika was still in Portugal.

This is according to data from the Directorate-General of Employment and Labor Relations (DGERIT) for the first two months of 2025.

In January, 401 staff were made unemployed, but this figure rose sharply to 803 in February. It involved 84 companies (Last year it was 97), but had more of an effect given the number of people made redundant.

Almost half of these (45%) 1,204 employees came from manufacturing industries. Telecommunications, IT programming and Consultancies making up 24% of job losses.

Wholesale and retail trade represented the third largest batch of redundancies.(15%)