In November, "the total number of furlough situations with compensation (normal granting, as foreseen in the Labour Code) was 7,510," according to the most recent summary prepared by the Strategy and Planning Office (GEP) of the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security.

Compared to the same period last year, there is an increase of 1,210 processed instalments, equivalent to a 19.2% increase.

"This effect is mainly due to two companies, which represent almost 40% of the workers on furlough in relation to the national total," says GEP, without mentioning, however, the companies in question.

In a chain comparison, an increase of 2,041 processed instalments was observed, which translates to a 37.3% increase compared to October.

The number of workers on furlough has been increasing for two consecutive months, and it is necessary to go back to January of this year to find a value as high as that recorded in November, when there were 12,364 workers on furlough, according to available data.

According to GEP, the reduced working hours scheme covered 4,292 people, 3.9% more than in November 2024 (160 more benefits) and an increase of 20.2% (721 more benefits) compared to the previous month.