Partner network
Hiring in Portugal,with the right partner by your side
Portugal offers a pool of multilingual talent at controlled costs, but hiring involves precise local rules (contract, Segurança Social, 14 months of pay). I am not a recruitment agency: I connect you with a specialist Portuguese firm, run by a French manager, that handles the search and the hiring for you.
75+ entrepreneurs supported since 2025 · Lisbon, Portugal
Why Portugal
A talent pool, at a controlled cost
Portugal attracts for real reasons: a trained, multilingual workforce, lower payroll costs than France or Germany, and a strong concentration of tech, support and customer-relations profiles. It's a genuine advantage for building a local team, provided you hire by the book.
- Multilingual talent
- Portuguese, English, French and Spanish are widely spoken. Lisbon and Porto concentrate international profiles, especially in tech, support and customer-service roles.
- More competitive costs
- Pay levels remain below those of many Western European countries for comparable skills. The profile-quality to total-cost ratio is one of the Portuguese market's strongest arguments.
- A dynamic tech market
- An active start-up ecosystem, recognised engineering schools and hubs of major groups: hiring a developer, a data profile or a support agent is more accessible here than elsewhere in Europe.
- A European framework
- Hiring in Portugal means staying within the European Union: freedom of establishment, single currency, familiar social-protection standards. No regulatory grey zone.
The real cost
What an employee really costs
Gross salary is only part of the equation. In Portugal, the employer pays social contributions and pay is spread over 14 months. Here are the figures to calculate a realistic total cost.
Employer's TSU
23.75%
Taxa Social Única, the employer's contribution to Segurança Social, calculated on gross salary (the employee contributes a further 11%).
Number of months
14 months
Annual pay is spread over 14 months: 12 monthly payments + a subsídio de férias (holiday) and a subsídio de Natal (Christmas). To be built into the annual cost.
Minimum wage
~€920/month
Salário mínimo nacional 2026, over 14 months. The legal floor for a full-time role; real market salaries are often higher.
Total employer cost
Gross × 14 + TSU
Annual cost ≈ (monthly gross × 14) increased by the 23.75% TSU, excluding extras (work-accident insurance, occupational medicine, equipment).
Figures dated 2026, to be confirmed with the recruitment partner and your Contabilista Certificado depending on the applicable collective agreement. They give an order of magnitude, not a quote.
How I work
How I connect you
My role is to qualify your need and connect you with the right partner, then coordinate so everything flows. You keep a single, trusted point of contact.
We frame your need
During the free first conversation, we define the role, the profile sought, the budget and the timeline. That's the basis for a useful introduction, not just a handed-over contact.
I introduce the partner
I connect you with the specialist Portuguese recruitment firm, run by a French manager. You speak in French, with someone who knows the market and local labour law.
The partner runs the recruitment
The search, shortlisting and interviews are run by the partner. You decide; they secure the legal framework of the employment contract and the Segurança Social registration.
I coordinate with your structure
I keep the link with company formation, the bank account and accounting (partner Contabilista Certificado) so the hire fits cleanly into your setup.
Who does what
Introductions, not a recruitment agency
Let's be clear on the roles. I am a company-formation and setup consultant: I coordinate and guide you. The recruitment itself is carried out by a specialist partner. This honesty protects you: each does what they master.
What I do
- Qualify your recruitment need
- Connect you with the specialist partner
- Coordinate with your company and accounting
- Stay your trusted point of contact
What the partner does
- Candidate search and selection
- Advice on the collective agreement and contract
- Legal framework of the hire and Segurança Social
- Local French-speaking HR support
Frequently asked questions
Hiring in Portugal: your questions
- What does an employee really cost in Portugal?
- On top of the gross salary come the employer's TSU of 23.75% (employer contribution to Segurança Social) and the fact that pay is spread over 14 months (12 monthly payments + subsídio de férias + subsídio de Natal). A guide: annual cost ≈ (monthly gross × 14) increased by 23.75%, excluding insurance and extras. The 2026 minimum wage is around €920 per month over 14 months.
- Why hire in Portugal rather than elsewhere?
- Portugal combines multilingual talent (Portuguese, English, French, Spanish), a dynamic tech market and payroll costs below those of France or Germany for comparable skills, all within the European Union. It's a good balance between profile quality and total cost.
- Do you handle the recruitment yourself?
- No. Business Portugal is not a recruitment agency. I connect you with a specialist Portuguese firm, run by a French manager, that handles the search, selection and legal framework of the hire. I qualify your need and coordinate with your company and accounting.
- Does the partner handle the employment contract and Segurança Social?
- Yes. The partner advises you on the applicable collective agreement, drafts the employment contract under Portuguese rules and secures the employee's registration with Segurança Social. Payroll is then handled by your partner Contabilista Certificado.
- Do you need to have set up your company already to hire?
- To employ someone in Portugal, you need a structure to carry the employment (a registered company, NIPC, employer registration with Segurança Social). If your company isn't set up yet, I coordinate both workstreams, formation and hiring preparation, so they flow cleanly.
This page is for information only and does not constitute personalised legal, accounting or tax advice. The figures (TSU 23.75%, 14 months, minimum wage ~€920) are dated 2026 and to be confirmed with the recruitment partner and a Contabilista Certificado depending on the applicable collective agreement. For an analysis of your project, book a meeting.
A hiring need in Portugal?
A free first conversation, with no commitment, to frame your need. I then connect you with the right partner and coordinate with your setup.
No commitment · Quick reply · Lisbon, Portugal