Working in Portugal: jobs, salaries, sectors

March 10, 2019

Portugal has become THE destination where everyone wants to settle. More and more people are choosing this beautiful Iberian country for a variety of reasons. Among those looking to move to Portugal are retirees, students and working people. For working people, one of the most important factors in their decision to settle here is whether or not they can find a job in Portugal. In this article, we’ll look at a number of points that may help you if you’re looking to work in Portugal: where to look for a job? what sectors are recruiting? what are the working conditions? what are the salaries?

1. Where can I consult job offers?

a. Internet sites

The Internet is one of the main tools you can use to find a job in Portugal. It’s important to remember that you’re not the only one looking to settle and work in this beautiful country, and that there’s plenty of competition. I strongly advise you to start looking for a job as soon as possible, and you can even begin your search before you arrive in Portugal. You can easily submit your application online and then conduct the first interviews remotely(by telephone, Skype, etc.), which are common practice in Portugal. So you can go through the first stages of recruitment online, without having to be in Portugal. Here is a non-exhaustive list of sites that can help you in your search:

IEFP, the equivalent of “pôle emploi”,
Adecco, the famous temporary employment agency,
Indeed, the renowned job search site,
Olx, the Portuguese “bon coin”, where you’ll find a section on job offers,
Net-emprego, one of Portugal’s biggest job sites,
Emprego.sapo, Portugal’s leading online recruitment site,
CCI luso française, the website of the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

b. Facebook groups

Social networking giant Facebook can also be a good way to find job offers. Either via Facebook pages “specialized” in jobs in Portugal, such as those listed below, or via the various groups of French speakers in Portugal. The latter are not overflowing with job offers, but from time to time you may come across some, and your dream of working in Portugal may become a reality in this way.

c. Press

Well, we don’t always think about it, or we sulk about it a bit, because there’s the Internet now, but job ads in the printed press are still very much in vogue. Yes, I’m talking about ink and paper! It still exists! Although there are fewer job offers and you have to be on the spot to buy the newspapers and consult the offers, this option can be considered. The main newspapers in Portugal that publish job offers are:

Newsstand in Portugal.

2. What sectors are recruiting in Portugal?

Before talking about the different sectors that recruit, please note two important points:

you’ll find a wider range of job offers in the cities of Porto and Lisbon. I’m not saying that there aren’t jobs in other cities, but the choice is likely to be more limited.
in the Portuguese workplace, English is ubiquitous. Portuguese is not essential in all sectors of activity, whereas English is likely to be, as you can see from the graph below of the languages most in demand at work in Portugal. So your level of English is important.

Languages most in demand in jobs in Portugal. Source: Hays Report 2017

a. Call centers

This is one of the sectors that has been recruiting most in recent years in Portugal. Many European and international companies are choosing to set up their call-centers in Portugal, mainly in the cities of Lisbon and Porto.

Working in a call center in Portugal is commonplace for many “expatriates”, since for these types of jobs speaking Portuguese is not necessarily essential. However, you will need to be at least bilingual(including English), i.e. your native language is English. English is almost always required, even if it’s not the language of the country(Portuguese) or the language you use with call center customers. If English is required, it’s because many training courses are given in this language, and you’ll probably also need to use English to communicate with some of your colleagues and/or superiors. English is therefore essential. What’s more, people who speak “rare” languages are also regularly coveted by call-centers. Just a few days ago, I saw an advertisement for a call-center consultant with the following text: “Do you speak hebrew? A job inLisbon awaits you!

On the other hand, some call-centers that are used to recruiting “foreigners” sometimes offer benefits that can be interesting when you arrive in a new country:

shared accommodation,
one flight per year to your country,
health insurance,
etc.

Among the call centers that are recruiting most in Portugal are :

Call center.

b. The tourism sector

With tourism booming in Portugal in recent years, many jobs have been created and developed in the tourism sector. Job offers are multiplying, particularly for positions in:

tour guide,
waiter, bartender, cook,
concierge, check-in/check-out manager,
etc.

These jobs are plentiful in big cities all year round, and seasonal in small and medium-sized coastal towns. Portuguese is appreciated but not compulsory. The most sought-after profiles are at least bilingual, with a perfect command of English.

Tourism, Rua Augusta, Lisbon.

c. The healthcare sector

Doctor House, is that you? Good timing! The health sector is recruiting strongly in Portugal, due to a severe shortage of personnel. So working in Portugal’s healthcare sector could be a good option if you’ve got the right education. The most sought-after positions are:

general practitioners,
some specialists (physiotherapists, chiropodists, etc.),
healthcare staff in private-sector hospitals,
etc.

For jobs in the health sector, a perfect command of Portuguese will obviously be required. Please note that jobs in this sector are not exclusively concentrated in the cities of Porto and Lisbon

d. New technologies

Are you a geek? Portugal is the destination for you! IT specialists are in high demand, especially in technical and graphic professions:

developers,
coders,
programmers,
functional analysts,
web designers,
etc.

Speaking Portuguese is an advantage, but not essential. Even more than in other sectors, English is widely used in this field in Portugal. So, if you speak English, you should find a job in this sector quite easily.

Portugal, and Lisbon in particular, is banking heavily on the new technology sector. The Portuguese capital has even been dubbed “Silicon Valley”, as it does everything it can to become the cradle of start-ups.

Europe’s premier web event, the Web Summit, has been held in Lisbon for the past 3 years. A high point where all European digital companies come together.

e. The building

There’s a famous saying that goes: “When construction goes, everything goes”, and this would appear to be the case in Portugal. With a boom in tourism and an increase in the number of people settling in Portugal, there has been a sharp rise in construction and renovation work in the building sector. As a result, trades related to this sector are in high demand.

Working in construction/renovation in Portugal could be one of the options open to you. The most sought-after trades are..:

carpenters
electricians
plumbers
tilers
project managers,
etc.

Cranes to help renovate buildings.

f. Starting a business

What if you were your own boss? Since 2016, boosted by the arrival of the annual Web Summit conference(previously held in Dublin), and with the support of the Portuguese government(financial aid and subsidies, tax credits or exemptions on property taxes, aid for professional training, etc.), start-ups in Lisbon have been multiplying.

These include the Empresa na hora system, which makes it possible to complete the formalities for setting up a business very quickly, and ” StartUP Portugal “, which provides various forms of support for startups, including Startup Voucher. This initiative provides over 400 entrepreneurs with a one-year grant to launch their businesses.

In addition, nearly 80 incubators and co-working spaces have been set up in the capital to help launch these companies. These include

The original Village Underground in Lisbon.

Here are just a few examples of Portuguese startups that are now renowned and regularly cited as role models:

Uniplaces: the “Airbnb” for students
Unbabel: translation tool
ChicByChoice: branded clothing rental
Codacy: error-correction tool for developers
Homelovers: real estate agency 2.0

3. What are working conditions like in Portugal?

a. Working hours

In Portugal, working hours are 40 hours a week, with a maximum of 8 hours a day. Days off are usually Saturday and Sunday. However, depending on the sector, these days may be worked. For example, in the retail, tourism and catering sectors, as well as in some call-centers, Saturday and Sunday are worked.

There are 22 paid vacations per year, plus national vacations of around 13 days a year.(Please note: if your company is not Portuguese but French, for example, it may follow the French national vacation scheme rather than the Portuguese one, depending on the company).

b. Type of contract

You will most likely be offered a fixed-term contract(contrato a termo certo). Open-ended contracts(contrato sem termo, also known as contrato efectivo) are generally offered once fixed-term contracts(contrato a termo certo) can no longer be renewed, i.e. after a maximum of 3 years or 3 contract renewals.

c. Salaries

Wages in Portugal are fairly low compared with those in other European countries. The minimum wage is 600 euros net per month, which has risen slightly since January 1, 2019, as can be seen in the table below.

Table of Portuguese minimum wage by year. Source : www.economias.pt

The average net salary in Portugal at the end of 2017(source: Instituto Nacional Estatistica) was €887. Depending on the region, this varies slightly, with an average net salary of :

1025€ for the Lisbon region,
835€ for the Nord & Centre regions,
847€ for the Algarve,
825€ for Alentejo.

In addition to this amount, other elements can be added to your salary(the first two points are quite frequently proposed by companies):

a meal allowance(subsídio de alimentação),
^13thand^14thmonths(subsídio de férias e de natal) paid before summer and Christmas,
target-based bonuses,
attendance bonuses,
transport subsidies,
etc.

It’s important to note that even if the salary in Portugal remains fairly low compared to its European neighbors, the cost of living is also lower in Portugal(especially when it comes to food).

However, beware of big cities such as Lisbon and Porto, where the cost of living has risen sharply in recent years, particularly for real estate(rents are skyrocketing!) Afew days ago, I even saw a 25m2 studio in Lisbon for €1,300/month!) What’s more, energy and telecommunications(electricity, petrol, internet packages, telephone, etc.) can be more expensive in Portugal than in France. So it’s important to find out the cost of living in the city where you want to work, and compare it with the salary you’ll be offered.

Working in Portugal: 3 points to remember

Start your search before you arrive in Portugal, and send in applications. Long-distance interviews are common in Portugal, and you’ll leave with peace of mind if you already have a job waiting for you there.
Don’t worry if you don’t speak Portuguese at first. Many sectors don’t require a command of Portuguese. On the other hand, speaking English will be very important for many jobs.
Wages in Portugal are low, and so is the cost of living, but be sure to take into account the ratio of salary to cost of living to avoid any surprises.

Ready to work in Portugal?

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