Portuguese companies reported 375 collective dismissals by July, representing an increase of about 13% compared to the same period last year and the highest value since 2020, the pandemic period, when 420 collective dismissals had been recorded in the first seven months. DGERT revealed that this number has been growing progressively, from 178 recorded by July 2022 to 221 in 2023, 293 in 2024 and 332 in 2025.
Of the 375 collective dismissals reported, 105 were from micro-enterprises, 174 from small enterprises, 68 from medium enterprises and 28 from large enterprises. The Lisbon and Vale do Tejo region leads with 221 dismissals, followed by the North with 104, the Centre with 36 and Alentejo and Algarve with seven each.
Conversely, the number of workers covered by collective dismissals fell 9.3% in the first seven months, to 4,250 workers, of whom 4,055 were actually dismissed, 11.4% fewer than the 4,578 recorded in the same period last year. In July specifically, 624 workers were actually dismissed, a figure lower than the 781 recorded in the same month of 2025.
Manufacturing industries were the activity with the highest number of workers dismissed in July, with Lisbon and Vale do Tejo accounting for 63% of the total dismissed. The reduction in the number of workers was the main reason cited for collective dismissals, representing 78% of cases, followed by permanent closure with 14% and the closure of one or more sections with 8%.
