Portugal Job Search

 

There are many positions in Portugal that require professionals who are fluent in English and who can speak Portuguese at the business conversation level. There are exceptions within some technical areas i.e. IT industry and in the tourism industry.

Although Portuguese is not essential, a sound working knowledge of the language is considered necessary to cope with daily office life and life outside work. Not speaking Portuguese will not necessarily hurt you.

Portugal Basic Data

Background: Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.

Capital: Lisbon

Climate: maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south

Ethnic groups: homogeneous Mediterranean stock; citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000; since 1990 East Europeans have entered Portugal

Languages: Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)

Economy - overview: Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly service-based economy since joining the European Community in 1986. Over the past decade, successive governments have privatized many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy, including the financial and telecommunications sectors. The country qualified for the European Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and began circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU member economies. Economic growth has been above the EU average for much of the past decade, but fell back in 2001-03. GDP per capita stands at 70% of that of the leading EU economies. A poor educational system, in particular, has been an obstacle to greater productivity and growth. Portugal has been increasingly overshadowed by lower-cost producers in Central Europe and Asia as a target for foreign direct investment. The coalition government faces tough choices in its attempts to boost Portugal's economic competitiveness and to keep the budget deficit within the 3% EU ceiling.

Labor force - by occupation: services 60%, industry 30%, agriculture 10% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 4.7% (2002 est.)

Natural resources: fish, forests (cork), tungsten, iron ore, uranium ore, marble, arable land, hydropower

Industries: textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, cork, metalworking; oil refining; chemicals; fish canning; wine, tourism

Currency: euro (EUR)

Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000), 0.94 (1999)

Internet country code: .pt

Portugal Job Search Info

Now to finalize your job search, if your cover letter and CV are ready, you may email them through our international job search engine to recruiters and executive headhunters.

In addition, on portugal cover letter, portugal CV and portugal job interview pages, you will find useful tips.

Good luck with your Portugal job search!