Latest news and stories about labour market in Portugal for expats and residents.
Portugal's year-on-year inflation reached 2.7% in March 2026, up from 2.1% in February, primarily driven by a 5.8% surge in energy prices. This spike, linked to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, accounts for over half of the total inflation increase. While the broader Eurozone labour market is expected to remain resilient, the rising cost of living remains a significant concern for the national economy.
A Diário de Notícias opinion piece argues that sustainability concerns now extend beyond environment and economy into work practices, urging organisations to balance resource use with staff welfare and avoid compromising the future. The commentary calls for assessing whether current workplace models use resources responsibly and for policies that treat people as a core resource. Employers and HR departments should consider whether current practices support longer-term staff wellbeing and resource efficiency.
Sustainability (sustentabilidade) means meeting present needs without reducing the ability of future generations to meet theirs, covering environmental, economic and social dimensions. For residents it affects local planning, jobs and services—look for municipal or company targets, timelines and measurable actions when assessing how sustainable a place or employer is.
Cáritas says that a sizeable portion of poverty in Portugal is escaping official statistics, warning that many households fall outside standard measures and so miss help. The charity called for more attention to hidden needs and for policies that reach groups not captured by current data. Those interested in social services, volunteering or community support should monitor local Cáritas branches for appeals and assistance programmes.
Cáritas is the Catholic Church’s charity network that operates in Portugal as Cáritas Portuguesa, providing emergency aid, food banks, shelters and social support to people in need. In stories about housing vulnerability it matters because Cáritas often helps homeless people, migrants and families facing eviction and can direct residents to local assistance or temporary accommodation.
A CGTP study reported that women now make up 53.5% of the total unemployed in 2025, up from 52.6% the previous year. The increase points to persistent gender differences in the labour market and may influence calls for targeted employment and training policies. Jobseekers and those using employment services should monitor local programmes aimed at reducing gender gaps.
The General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers (CGTP – Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses) is Portugal’s largest trade-union confederation, grouping most unions in manufacturing, public services and many other sectors.
Founded clandestinely in 1970 as “Intersindical” under the dictatorship, it emerged publicly after the 1974 Carnation Revolution and was legalised in 1975. It has been central to virtually all major labour struggles since then, from defending collective bargaining and the 40‑hour week to leading general strikes against austerity and labour‑law rollbacks.
CGTP is historically close to the Portuguese Communist Party and has a class‑struggle, anti‑neoliberal profile, strongly critical of EU and government policies seen as undermining workers’ rights. It favours grassroots mobilisation and strikes over compromise, often refusing national social‑pact deals that the more centrist UGT is willing to sign.
In today’s Portugal, CGTP remains a key actor in wage bargaining, labour‑law debates and national protests; together with UGT it called the first joint general strike in years in December 2025, signalling its continuing capacity to organise mass action.
As Portugal marks Labour Day, the nation faces a paradox of high employment rates coupled with low wages, long working hours, and significant youth precarity, raising questions about how to better value careers and retain talent.
Foreign nationals now account for nearly a quarter of IEFP trainees, with many immigrants moving beyond language acquisition to pursue technical vocational training for better labour market integration.
The Bank of Portugal reports a gradual slowdown in employment growth for 2025, despite the labour market reaching historical highs, citing economic challenges and revised growth forecasts.
Between 2022 and 2025 the share of foreign nationals in placements made by employment centres more than doubled, reaching 31% of unemployed people placed. The data indicate greater willingness among immigrants to accept work, with implications for labour market dynamics, placement strategies and policies aimed at workforce integration.
Portugal’s unemployment rate has edged down only slowly since 2019, prompting debate over whether it is approaching a near‑floor. The rate’s stabilisation reflects a mix of cyclical recovery and structural constraints — tight labour markets in some sectors, demographic shifts, labour‑market mismatches and cost‑of‑living pressures that can limit further job creation. Further falls are possible but will likely depend on stronger demand, targeted upskilling and reforms that reduce structural unemployment rather than relying on cyclical factors alone.
Forecasts suggest 2026 is unlikely to see mass layoffs directly caused by artificial intelligence, but experts warn AI will reshape job roles and slow hiring as firms reassess workforce needs. Employers are expected to prioritise retooling existing staff and investing in training to capitalise on AI tools, creating a potential ‘rush’ for upskilling programmes across sectors. The shift could produce short-term hiring freezes or more cautious recruitment, while raising questions about skills mismatches, labour-market inequality and the speed of public and private training responses.
Four out of every 10 young Portuguese people under the age of thirty have temporary employment contracts. In a portrait of the labour market in Portugal and the European Union, Pordata also highlights that the country has salary levels below the European average.
With more than five million people employed, the Portuguese labour market currently has one of the highest weekly working hours in Europe, but salary levels below the EU average and one of the five highest rates of temporary contracts among the various countries of the Old Continent. The portrait is drawn by Pordata on the Day...
Portugal ranks among the European Union nations with the highest average weekly working hours.
An analysis of the current challenges facing the Portuguese job market, highlighting long hours, low pay, and job insecurity for the younger generation.
The tax authority is investigating Luís Montenegro, reveals the Correio da Manhã newspaper in its edition this Friday, May 1st. According to the daily, the head of government is suspected of dodging taxes through Spinumviva, and the Public Prosecutor's Office has reported the billing of the Prime Minister's family company to the tax authorities. At issue is the fact that clients moved from Montenegro's law firm to the family company, reducing the amount of tax payable. Prosecutors understand there is no crime of fraud, but an additional tax assessment may be involved. In the Público newspaper, the headline for this Friday's edition is Euthanasia. 'Government claims there is a lack of legal certainty to proceed,' writes the daily, to which the Ministry of Health says it is not blocking the law passed almost three years ago and only wants to ensure it respects the Constitution. According to Público, 23 more Portuguese people have registered to go abroad to die. Also in Público, in an opinion piece, PS secretary-general José Luís Carneiro asks the government to withdraw the labour counter-reform proposal. In the Jornal de Notícias, the main front-page highlight this May 1st is the number of people with two jobs in Portugal, which is at its highest level ever: there are now almost 300,000. Precariousness and low wages explain the phenomenon, writes the newspaper. The weekly Expresso highlights in its print edition this week, also on newsstands this Friday, that 'one million Portuguese will have no family support network in old age.' The drop in birth rates is creating generations of only children, and half of the people currently between 35 and 40 years old will only have one child to support them when they reach 75. The director of Pordata warns: 'If you don't have children, start saving.' In the sports dailies, the highlight is Sp. Braga's victory in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals, making the headlines of A Bola, Record, and O Jogo.
The rate of part-time underemployment in Portugal has risen to 2.2%, narrowing the gap with the European Union average.
An analysis of the Portuguese job market highlighting issues such as low salaries, long working hours, and job insecurity for young people.
The Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities argued that Portugal needs immigration to meet market needs and rejected the idea that the arrival of foreigners in the country is putting downward pressure on wages.
As long as the numbers remain in the thousands when Portugal needs tens of thousands of workers, Via Verde will continue to be an experiment with good intentions and modest results. Opinion by Amanda Rattes
In an interview, CAP president Álvaro Mendonça e Moura says he is 'surprised' by the UGT's unanimous rejection of the labour package. He states he is open to new proposals but doubts that the UGT will present any.
Birth rate crisis worsens ageing in Portugal
The Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP) will provide a new training voucher that will not be limited to the digital sector. The announcement was made this Tuesday by the institution's president, Domingos Lopes, during the Annual Labour Conference. “We are creating a public measure that remains in the digital sector and expands...”
The former governor of the Bank of Portugal says that youth unemployment is not a good statistic, as “these young people are unemployed because they rotate from job to job”
PRESS REVIEW | Projections point to significant drops in teaching staff by 2035
Opinion. Few want to anticipate scenarios for the impact of international conflicts, such as the one in Iran, on European economies. However, the effect of the geopolitical tensions we are witnessing, whether greater or lesser, is considered a certainty. What should we expect for Portugal and the labour market given the instability and uncertainty generated by international conflicts?
Among the member states, Finland recorded the highest unemployment rate, followed by Spain, Greece, and Sweden.
Portugal saw unemployment increase (slightly) between January and February, but the rate still remained below the European Union (EU) and Eurozone average, according to data released this Wednesday by Eurostat. Finland, Spain, and Greece recorded the highest unemployment rates among member states. In February 2026...
February saw a slight increase in unemployment compared to the first month of the year. According to data released this Tuesday by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the rate stood at 5.8%, 0.2 percentage points higher than what was recorded in January. In year-on-year terms, however, there was a decline.
A “remarkable structural transformation” is taking place. More than just quantity of labour, agricultural holdings require “specialisation”, and immigrants are arriving “better prepared”.
Study assesses 30 years of the Portuguese agricultural sector.
Álvaro Santos Pereira, Governor of the Bank of Portugal, suggests that the country should actively attract highly qualified immigrants to address labour market needs. The report highlights that many immigrants, particularly Brazilians, struggle with the bureaucratic revalidation of their academic credentials, leading to a significant portion of highly educated professionals working outside their fields of expertise. The data shows that immigrants, with an average age of 33, are a vital part of the Portuguese workforce, contributing significantly to social security while relying less on social benefits than the native population.
The assessment of the protocol for granting work visas to immigrants in their countries of origin was considered “positive” by the executive. About 60% of the applications are for the agricultural sector.
