Exports of goods from the North increased 19% in the second quarter of 2022, compared to the same period in 2021, according to a bulletin released this Thursday by the North Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-North).

“Exports of goods from the North increased by 19% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2022, in a context marked by the deepening of the energy crisis on a global scale”it can be read in the Norte Conjuntura bulletin.

According to the document, the “increase” dynamic was also felt in imports of goods, which, compared to the same period in 2021, increased by 25.5% in the period analyzed.

Given the important growth of exports and imports, the total value of the North’s international trade accelerated in the 2nd quarter of 2022, in an environment marked by the increase in production costs, due to the increase in the costs of energy, transport international and raw materials. materials”, says the document, pointing out that the growth of exports and imports was due to the increase in final prices practiced in international trade.

Regarding the exports of the large economic groups, Norte Conjuntura adds that capital goods, intermediate goods and consumer goods registered year-on-year growth in the second quarter of 2022.

Exports of capital goods increased by 3% (which represented a “slowdown” compared to the previous quarter), exports of intermediate goods increased by 21.5% and exports of consumer goods increased by 19.7% year-on-year.

The document also highlights that, in the first quarter of 2022, exports of the class made up of motor vehicles, tractors, cycles and other land vehicles, their parts and accessories increased by 5.4% year-on-year, “reversing the trend towards lower than for three consecutive quarters”, having been the most exporting class in the second quarter, registering 661 million euros.

The rest of the classes included in the “top 4 of the most exporters in the region” had growth above “double digits: exports of clothing and accessories increased by 13.1%, exports of machinery, electrical appliances and electrical materials increased by 15.8% and footwear exports by 32.1%. %

Furniture, plastic and aluminum exports also had significant increases in the second half of the year, registering 9.4%, 23.1% and 52.8%, respectively.

Norte Conjuntura also highlights that the highest growth in exports of goods in the analyzed period occurred in the municipalities of Trofa (32.2%), Paços de Ferreira (30.9%), Felgueiras (26.8%), Santo Tirso (25.1%), Vila Nova de Famalicão (23.9%), Viana do Castelo (23.6%), Vila Nova de Gaia (22.8%), Guimarães (20.5%), Maia (19 .7%) and Vila do Conde (19.5%).

9,700 new jobs created in the North in the second quarter of 2022

The employed population in the North increased 0.6% in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, which represents 9,700 new jobs, indicates the bulletin released this Thursday by the North Regional Coordination and Development Commission ( CCDR-North). ). ).

“The North labor market continued to grow in the 2nd quarter of 2022, although at a slower pace than in previous quarters,” the bulletin highlights.

In the second quarter of this year, the employed population increased by 0.6% compared to the same period in 2021, which translated into the creation of 9,700 new jobs.

Despite the “observed slowdown”, Employment and activity rates in the region “continue to show high values”the document highlights, pointing out that in the age group of 20 to 64 years, the employment rate stood at 77% in the period under analysis (0.3% more than in the previous quarter).

The activity rate of the population aged 16 and over stands at 59.3%, also “slightly higher than that registered in the previous quarter (59.2%)”.

The bulletin also highlights that, in the second quarter of this year, “slightly different evolution trends” were observed than those observed in recent quarters, in particular, in relation to the employed population in the age group between 16 and 24 years, which rose “6% year-on-year and reversed the downward trajectory that has been seen since the start of the pandemic”.

At the same time, the employed population in the 65-year-old and 89-year-old group began to register a “negative variation of 7.4%” with respect to the same period in 2021, however, the remaining age groups registered “more homologous variations”. moderate”.

Regarding the sectors of economic activity, the dynamics observed in the second quarter of 2022 was “similar” to that of the previous quarter, with an increase in the population employed in the primary sector (agriculture, livestock, hunting, forestry and fishing) and in the services 4, 2% and 4%, respectively, year over year.

In turn, the employed population in the secondary sector (industry, construction, energy and water) registered a decrease of 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

“Manufacturing industries registered a reduction of 6.9% compared to the same quarter of 2021, corresponding to the elimination of around 31,000 jobs,” says the bulletin.

In this sense, the document also highlights that the branches of activity of human health and social assistance, as well as wholesale and retail trade and vehicle repair had a “very favorable behavior” in the 2nd quarter of 2022, having been An increase of around 16,400 and 23,100, respectively, was observed in the population employed in these activities compared to the same period in 2021.

In the different professional categories, specialists in intellectual and scientific activities maintained their “affirmation” trajectory, growing 6.4% compared to the same period last year and representing 24.9% of employment in the North.

The Norte Conjuntura bulletin also highlights that the number of employees grew by 0.5% of the region compared to the quarter of last year, which contrasts with a “more modest increase” of the self-employed, which grew by 0.2%.

Regarding the unemployment rate, the document says that there was a slight increase in relation to the previous quarter, standing at 5.5% in the period under analysis. However, compared to the same period in 2021, the unemployment rate in the North decreased by 0.8%.

“Despite the downward trend of the unemployed population in the North in recent quarters, the growing trend in the number of long-term unemployed is noted with concern,” the bulletin adds.

Nights in the North exceed pre-pandemic values ​​in the 2nd quarter of 2022

In the second quarter of this year, 3.2 million tourist overnight stays were registered in the North, a value that exceeded, “for the first time”, the indicators prior to the pandemic, indicates this Thursday the bulletin released by the Regional Coordination and Development Commission of the North Country (CCDR-N).

“Overnight stays in tourist establishments in the North were 3,194,089 in the second quarter of 2022, 7.9% more than in the second quarter of 2019”it can be read in the Norte Conjuntura bulletin.

According to the document, this was the “first time” that the indicators of tourist activity in the region exceeded those observed before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The overnight stays of residents had a “significant growth” of 14.8% compared to the second quarter of 2019, standing at 1.2 million in the period analyzed. Overnight stays by non-residents stood at 1.9 million, also exceeding the pre-pandemic figure by 3.8%.

As with overnight stays, the number of guests in tourist establishments in the North also increased by 4.5% compared to the 2nd quarter of 2019, with 1,685,605 registered guests.

“Given the full recovery, the negative effects of the pandemic crisis on the internal and external tourist demand of the North have dissipated”, highlights the document, which indicates that the recovery was due “to the strong growth of the last year”, with the number of guests will increase by 157.2% compared to the same period in 2021.

The “full resumption of tourist activity for values ​​above the pre-pandemic” was also felt in the billing indicators of tourist accommodation establishments, with total income reaching 217 million euros, “an increase of 19, 5% compared to the value of the 2nd quarter of 2019”.

The average rent per room also recovered more than in 2019, reaching 51.2 euros in the second quarter of 2022.

already the the net occupancy rate per bed was the only indicator in which tourism in the North did not exceed the pre-pandemic periodregistering 45.2% in contrast to the 46.5% reached in the second quarter of 2019.

“In Portugal, some indicators of tourist activity are still at a value slightly lower than that of the pre-pandemic period,” recalls the Norte Conjuntura bulletin, citing as an example the fact that, in the analyzed period, the number of guests and Las overnight stays were lower, 1.7% and 0.2%, respectively, compared to the second quarter of 2019.