Employment in Portugal

If you are thinking about moving to Portugal and want to find a job, you should realise before moving that your salary will be much lower than what it was in the United Kingdom. This is simply something that you will want to make sure that you are prepared for.

Employment In Portugal

If you are thinking about moving to Portugal and want to find a job, you should realize before moving that your salary will be much lower than what it was in the United Kingdom. This is simply something that you will want to make sure that you are prepared for.

Portugal - Employment

Just as there is in the United kingdom they have minimum wage in Portugal also. However, there was an increase in the year 2008 during January that equated out to 426€ a month. This rate was for any person that was over 20 years of age and younger workers got a fixed percentage of that minimum wage.

In addition, even though the Portugal minimum wage is a lot lower than it is in the United Kingdom, it is very proportionate to living costs there. You might be shocked at the wages, but you will see that the average cost of living ensures that you will be able to afford the basics.

The hours which you will work in Portugal are also going to be different from what you would experience in the United Kingdom. Standard working hours in Portugal will usually be from 9am until 1pm with a two hour lunch break. Your schedule will then resume at 3pm and will finish out at about 7 o'clock in the evening and you can expect a regular 40 hrs each week. This will be an unexpected, yet nice change of pace for those who are used to different shifts. Moreover, you will also have 22 days of leave and 12 public holiday that you can take off of work.

Something that will need consideration is if you wish to work near the tourist areas of Portugal or away from them. If you decide you want to work away from them knowing the language of Portugal will be a must if you wish to succeed. If you are from an EU country you will not required to have a work permit in Portugal and if you have a Tax and Social Security number, but you must have a valid passport. You will then have the same rights as a normal Portuguese citizen regarding pay, housing, social security and vocational training. You will have all of the same rights as someone who was born there.

If you happen to be a EU national you can get free access to the Portugal employment services through Centro de Emprego. This office is run and operated by the Ministerio de Emprego e Seguranca social.

These government services can give you information regarding job openings, vacancies, and opportunities for training in the field of your choice. Another great source to find various job openings is to check out the weekly newspaper Expresso that is published every Saturday.


For more information on Employment in Portugal and on buying Property for sale in Portugal contact the team at Portugal property by email at: info@portugalproperty.com or feel free to call anytime from 8am to 8pm on 0800 014 8201