According to research by the Prepara Portugal platform, based on cross-referenced data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) and the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), “in 2023, the median age of foreign workers was 33 years, while that of Portuguese workers reached 42 years,” a sign that immigrants contribute to the “rejuvenation of the national labour market.”
On the other hand, the study indicates that more than 85% of the foreign population residing in Portugal is of working age, well above the Portuguese population.
“Among nationals, the group aged 65 or older represents more than 24% of the population, while among immigrants this figure does not exceed 8.5%,” says Higor Cerqueira, pedagogical director of Prepara Portugal, a platform aimed at international students and immigrants seeking professional integration in the Portuguese market.
According to the study, whose final version will be presented in January, immigrants “are strongly integrated into strategic sectors such as construction, tourism, restaurants, agriculture, administrative services and information technology, areas that face a structural shortage of national labour.”
According to Pedro Stob, trainer of the Data Analysis and Information Technology Applied to Management course at the Prepara Portugal Training Center, the ultimate goal was to train “students to work with real data, interpret complex social phenomena and communicate conclusions with an impact on society.”
“The study also points to a progressive integration of immigrants into the labour market, reflected in improved employment rates and a gradual increase in average wages over the period analysed, despite the persistence of challenges such as wage differences, recognition of qualifications, and contractual stability in some sectors,” the authors state.