One in two employees in Portugal say they feel that their salary does not cover all their expenses, reports SIC Noticias citing a study carried out by market research company Ipsos and commissioned by the French non-governmental organisation Secours Populaire Français. The study points out that the economic situation for Portuguese and Serbian workers is ‘very worrying’. The research surveyed 10,000 individuals aged 18 or over in 10 countries (Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, UK, Moldova, Portugal, Romania and Serbia). "Having a job does not necessarily mean being able to survive financially", the study's author, Etienne Mercier, said in a statement, highlighting that the economic situation affects more than a third (36%) of European workers.

Almost three out of ten Europeans, including 49% of Greeks, said they are in a precarious situation, which leads them to renounce certain needs, such as eating enough or heating their homes, warned the barometer. Due to the ‘difficult financial situation’, 62% of Europeans have already restricted their travel and 46% have already given up heating their homes in the winter. Furthermore, 38% of respondents said they do not eat three meals a day. While the economic situation ‘slightly improved’ compared to last year in countries most heavily affected by inflation, such as Greece, the study showed that it remains ‘very worrying’ in all countries covered by the study.