Portugal

You can find some practical info about finding and applying for a job, living, working and moving to Portugal here:

1. Finding and applying for a job in Portugal

2. Living in Portugal

3. Working in Portugal

4. Moving to Portugal: next steps

Unemployment is currently around 6%, one of the lowest ever, and employers are finding it hard to find the right skills in the following areas:

• Information and Communication Technologies, Digital and Engineering: Software and Applications Developers & Programmers; AI Specialists; Cybersecurity Specialists; Systems Analists; Content Reviewers; Telecommunications & Electronics Engineers;
• Business Support Centres, Customer Service (mostly inbound operators) and Shared Service Centres (Sales, HR, Administration, Procurement, Accountancy and Control Management) - mostly looking for specific language profiles;
• Healthcare and Elderly Care: Medical Doctors (general and specialist practitioners); Nurses; Ambulance Workers; Medical Imaging and Therapeutic Equipment Technicians; Healthcare and Elderly Care Assistants; Veterinarians;
• Tourism, Hospitality and Catering: Chefs, Cooks, Waiters, Bartenders, Hotel Receptionists - mostly in the Spring-Summer season (but in some areas, e.g. Greater Lisbon and Greater Porto, all year round);
• Agriculture and Forestry (seasonal jobs mostly): Crop and Livestock Farm Labourers; Fruit picking: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, pears, avocados,...; Greens picking; Forestry Labourers, Tree and Shrub Crop Growers; Machinery Mechanics and Repairers;
• Transports & Logistics: Bus and Tram Drivers, Heavy Truck and Lorry Drivers, Motor Vehicle Mechanics and Repairers;
• Construction: Civil and Electrical Engineers, Civil Engineering Technicians; Floor Layers and Tile Setters, Insulation Workers, Electricians, Plumbers and Pipe Fitters, Earthmoving | Crane and Hoist Plant Operators, HVAC Technicians (Air Conditioning and Refrigeration);
• Manufacturing: Electric | Electronic Equipment and Mechanical Machinery Assemblers; Electrical Engineers; Industrial Machinery and Electrical Mechanics and Servicers; Sheet Metal Workers; Metal Finishing, Plating and Coating Machine Operators; Toolmakers; Metal Working Machine and Tool Setting Operators; Shoemaking Machine Operators; Tailors, Dressmakers, Furriers, Hatters; Garment, Patternmakers and Cutters; Bleaching, Dyeing and Fabric Cleaning Machine Operators;
• Other: Commercial Sales Representatives; Butchers, Meat Cutters and Fishmongers; Inland and Coastal Waters Fishery Workers.

In the Customer Service and Shared Service Centres, knowledge of Portuguese is not necessary, since the working language is the native language (and, very often, the English) and during preliminary training in companies the language needed is normally English. Within the IT sector, also many companies do not require Portuguese, as long as you have a good level of English. 

In other positions, language skills in Portuguese are very important, particularly in occupations requiring contact with the public or with significant teamwork. A knowledge of other languages, such as English, Spanish, French, Italian or German, may be an advantage, particularly in Tourism.

Text last edited on: 11/2025