Where are salaries and job opportunities highest in Portugal?

By&nbspJoana Mourão Carvalho Published on 28/09/2026 - GMT+2 Information technology remains one of the most attractive fields in the Portuguese job market, offering high average salaries and strong job creation, according to Randstad's latest Salary Trends Study. Portugal’s technology sector is adding jobs fast and paying some of the country’s highest salaries. Employment in information and communication rose by 27,600 year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, while annual salaries for the IT roles surveyed range from €40,000 to €55,000, according to Randstad’s 2026/2027 Salary Trends Study. According to the report, which cross-references Randstad’s recruitment database with official statistics from INE and Eurostat, the number of people employed in the information and communication sector in the second quarter of 2026 stood at 237,200, representing around 4.4% of the total workforce in Portugal. Year-on-year, there was an increase of 27,600 jobs (+13.2%). According to Randstad, the five areas most in demand , data analytics, BI and AI, software development, business applications (CRM/ERP) and IT management and strategy. Close behind is the life sciences and healthcare sector, which, according to data from INE’s Employment Survey for the second quarter of 2026, cited in a Randstad press release, employs 567,700 people in human health and social care, representing around 10.5% of the total workforce in Portugal. EU pay transparency: Are job ads finally getting honest about salaries? Where do workers take home the smallest share of their salaries in Europe? Year-on-year, there was an increase of 43,200 jobs (+8.2%), “consolidating healthcare as one of the biggest drivers of skilled job creation in the country”, Randstad said in the same press release. In pharmaceuticals and research, the average gross annual salary ranges from €35,000 to €60,000, according to Randstad’s survey, “with strong demand for sales representatives, quality assurance roles, regulatory affairs, market access and medical affairs”. In healthcare, the average stands at between €30,000 and €46,000 gross per annum, with organisations focusing on recruiting nurses, doctors, multi-therapy technicians, pharmacy technicians and pharmacists. Another sector emerging as a driving force for change in the Portuguese market, according to Randstad, is engineering and industry, “a highly skilled sector characterised by a high level of job stability in the Portuguese market”. According to data from INE for the second quarter of 2026, cited , the workforce in the industrial sector (which includes extractive industries, manufacturing, electricity, gas, water and construction) stood at 1,333,700 people, representing around 24.7% of the total workforce in Portugal. Year-on-year, there was an increase of 43,000 jobs (+3.3%). With average salaries estimated €33,500 and €49,500 gross per annum, “companies are actively seeking site managers, automation and robotics engineers, product development engineers, production supervisors and supply chain or logistics technicians.” In banking and insurance, where average salaries range from €35,000 to €50,000 gross per annum, the workforce stood at 118,700 people in the second quarter of 2026, representing around 2.2% of the total workforce in Portugal.