Latest news and stories about labor market in Portugal for expats and residents.
Applications for the Integrar para a Construção training program close this Sunday, July 5th. The initiative offers 500 places for immigrants with valid residence permits to develop technical skills and language proficiency for the construction sector.
Net migration of foreign nationals in Portugal fell by half in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to data from the BdP. The central bank reports that monthly net entries dropped from 13,200 in 2024 to 6,200 in 2025, driven by a combination of fewer arrivals and an increase in departures. The bank warns that this trend may impact employment growth and labor market availability.
Cristina Casalinho explores the vital role of civil society in developing practical solutions for the integration of an unprecedented number of migrants.
Ricardo Gonçalves Cerqueira, CEO of Rekeep Portugal, argues that the Portuguese economy relies heavily on immigrant labor to meet current operational demands, despite rising political pressure to tighten immigration policies.
A diagnosis is only useful as long as it correctly describes reality. When reality changes, persisting with the same diagnosis inevitably leads to misinterpretations and worse policies. This is increasingly the case with the idea that Portugal is an underqualified country. Not because the education deficit has disappeared, far from it, but...
The unemployment rate stood at 5.6%, the same as the figure for May, but lower than that of March 2026 and June 2025. The labour underutilisation rate was the lowest since 2011.
The unemployment rate, estimated at 5.6% in May and June 2026, reached its lowest level since February 2002, when it was at the same value.
Twenty percent of students at the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança are from Portuguese-speaking African countries. These students have been an asset to the region, and not only after they finish their degree.
The number of employees aged 65 and older continues to rise in Portugal.
90% of 3,174 respondents consider that they work too hard for what they earn. More than 70% say the profession is not attractive and feel evaluated and judged.
Data shows that the Portuguese population of working age has the second lowest level of formal education among all European Union member states.
In a significant course correction, Ford has rehired 350 senior engineers after replacing them with AI led to a surge in design flaws and multi-billion dollar losses. This 'AI Boomerang Effect' is being observed across various sectors, as companies realize that automated systems lack the tacit knowledge and judgment of experienced professionals, forcing a return to a 'Human-in-the-Loop' model.
Germany has most jobs at risk while Luxembourg has largest share in occupations that may actually grow with AI, firm says in new report.
A large portion of the immigrants came in a desperate rush for a job they never found.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) considers that the Single Social Benefit (PSU) proposed by the Government will allow for a simplification of support, while simultaneously strengthening work incentives. The position is defended on the day that Parliament votes on the measure in committee. “The Single Social Benefit, recently proposed by the Government, should simplify...
The Portuguese Assistant Secretary of State and Labour, Adriano Rafael Moreira, said today in Maputo that Portugal will recruit almost 160 Mozambican workers this year for the transport, metalworking, and civil construction sectors.
Despite the increase in the resident population in Portugal, achieved thanks to the arrival of immigrants, the country continues to age. The number of people of working age does not compensate for those reaching retirement age.
The president of the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP), Domingos Lopes, stated this Friday in parliament that the number of registered unemployed people covered by social work “does not reach 15,000”. “These are small numbers given the total size of the unemployed population,” he noted, adding that 178,000 of the 265,000 unemployed people registered with the IEFP have “protection...
A rare possibility: that we are facing the first technology truly indifferent to gender, in a world that is not yet so.
Switzerland is expected to reject a proposal to cap the population at 10 million, according to Bloomberg (paywall), in a vote that would have unprecedentedly curbed immigration in an advanced economy. Projections from public broadcaster SRF pointed to 55% against the initiative, while partial official results showed 53.8% voting 'no' to...
According to the executive, the measure reduces bureaucracy, improves the management of support, and makes the system more transparent.
Wage compression in the private sector may discourage workers and harm the economy's productivity. The difference between the minimum and median wage is about 100 euros.
Portugal faces significant challenges in recruiting skilled labour compared to other European Union member states.
The number of beneficiaries fell for the third consecutive month to 184,148, the lowest figure in six months. The average monthly unemployment benefit rose by 8.4% to 752 euros.
Portugal ranks among the European Union countries with the longest average working hours.
A study also shows that the average full-time adjusted salary in Portugal was 2,068.2 euros in 2024.
Portugal ranks seventh among EU member states for employment rates within the 25 to 29 age demographic.
Portugal has become a country of immigration while remaining a country of emigration. It imports low-skilled labour and exports skilled labour: it is a recipe for impoverishment.
The IEFP also identified that there is a “significant number of young people who have completed compulsory schooling and are no longer willing to accept just any offer,” but there are companies that do not recognise their skills.
