Portugal’s Minister of Economy, António Pires de Lima, on Wednesday said that the country’s jobless rate will soon resume its downward trend, after a jump in the forth quarter of 2014 and the first two months of this year.

In February, Portugal’s unemployment rate stood at 14.1 percent. The Portuguese Government expects it to drop to 13.4 percent for full-year 2015.

“We are confident that… due to the seasonal dynamics of the Portuguese economy, the unemployment rate should fall again to settle at average levels not only below last year’s 13.9 percent, but also below the average projected in the 2015 budget, of 13.4 percent,” Mr Pires de Lima told a parliamentary committee.

He added: “The best way to create jobs is by attracting investment. We are working on attracting investment… this is the top priority”.