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Employment

A white Portuguese building in Cascais with a green IEFP Centro de Emprego sign above the entrance, a small black car parked at the kerb and cobbled pavement in the foreground

Portugal's Jobless Register Turned Upward in July, Ending Five Straight Months of Decline at 269,100 People

The IEFP counted 269,100 registered unemployed in July, down 8.1% on the year but up 1.7% on June: the first monthly rise since February. Manual and service workers left the register in numbers while managers and specialists were added to it.

The Portugal Brief 20 Aug 2026

Brussels Reopens an Infringement Case, Telling Portugal to Fix Gaps in Its Rules on Predictable Working Conditions

Brussels Reopens an Infringement Case, Telling Portugal to Fix Gaps in Its Rules on Predictable Working Conditions

The European Commission says Portugal has not fully transposed the EU directive on transparent and predictable working conditions, flagging gaps in the Labour Code on trial periods, on-call notice and hiring information.

The Portugal Brief 27 Jul 2026

Lisbon Appeal Court Upholds a Near-€15,000 Fine After a Firm Used a Company Car's GPS to Check a Saleswoman's Reports

Lisbon Appeal Court Upholds a Near-€15,000 Fine After a Firm Used a Company Car's GPS to Check a Saleswoman's Reports

The Tribunal da Relação de Lisboa confirmed a fine of nearly €15,000 against an employer who mined a company car's GPS trail to police a saleswoman's performance — a breach of Article 20 of the Labour Code.

The Portugal Brief 27 Jul 2026

A tree-lined avenue with benches in central Barcelos, northern Portugal, the town behind

Barcelos Backs Two New Tech-Training Centres With €3.2 Million for Industry and IT

Barcelos has inaugurated two Specialised Technology Centres backed by a €3.2 million PRR-funded investment, one for industry and one for IT, teaching programming, cybersecurity, AI, automation and robotics. The northern city is betting on locally grown skills to keep its dense industrial base suppli

The Portugal Brief 17 Jul 2026

Cars moving along an automated assembly line in a car factory with overhead conveyor machinery

Volkswagen's Capacity Cuts Unsettle Portugal's Auto-Components Industry as a Third Down Year Looms

Volkswagen's plan to cut production capacity 25% and axe half its models is rattling Portugal's auto-components makers, whose exports fell 7% in May. Industry body AFIA warns 2026 will bring more losses and job cuts, though the Autoeuropa plant in Palmela looks set to be spared.

The Portugal Brief 13 Jul 2026

The neoclassical Sao Bento Palace in Lisbon, seat of Portugal's parliament, its columned facade beneath a flying Portuguese flag

The Government's 100-Point Labour Overhaul Heads to Parliament as the Minimum Wage Path Points to €970 in 2027

The government's 100-plus-change labour-code overhaul is before Parliament, with the Social Concertation due to meet on 15 July. The minimum wage is set to rise to €970 in 2027, though the minister has not ruled out going higher.

The Portugal Brief 10 Jul 2026

The neoclassical facade of the Palácio da Justiça (courthouse) in Coimbra, Portugal, under a clear blue sky

Non-Compete and Stay Clauses in Portuguese Employment Contracts in 2026 — A Practical Guide to the Pacto de Não Concorrência, the Two- and Three-Year Limits, the Compensation Rule, the Pacto de Permanência and Your Right to a Second Job

Can a Portuguese employer stop you working for a competitor after you leave — or bar you from a second job now? A practical 2026 guide to non-compete and stay clauses under the Código do Trabalho: the two-year limit, the compensation rule, and when a clause simply isn't valid.

The Portugal Brief 08 Jul 2026

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