The number of temporary job placements in Portugal fell 5.5% in 2023 compared to the previous year, totalling 393,598, reports Jornal de Negocios (Business Journal), citing the latest barometer by the Portuguese Association of Companies in the Private Sector of Employment and Human Resources and ISCTE (University Institute of Lisbon). “In 2023 there were a total of 393,598 temporary job placements, which represents an overall growth of 1.4% compared to 2021, when there were 388,235 annual hires. Despite this increase, there is a decrease of 5.5 % in relation to 2022 (416,419 annual hires),” the barometer stated. In the last quarter of 2023 there was a decrease of 11.7% in temporary job placements, year-on-year, to 92,449 placements.

The president of APESPE-RH, Afonso Carvalho, highlighted that the drop in the number of hirings in 2023 is justified by the fact that, in 2022, there was "a strong recovery in the number of placements, especially because companies' activities returned to normal after the pandemic".

"However, if we compare the previous year's figures with those obtained in 2021 and 2020, it is possible to see that the number of placements is recovering", Carvalho added, highlighting that "the barometer continues to indicate that temporary work is an opportunity for entry or re-entry into the labour market for workers with low education and aged over 40”.