Portugal reports high employment rates among non-EU immigrants

Portugal ranks among the top five European Union countries for employment rates among residents born outside the EU. According to data from the Migration Observatory, the employment rate for non-EU born residents aged 15 to 64 was 75.6% in 2025, surpassing the 73.4% rate recorded for native-born citizens.

This figure is significantly higher than the average for the 20 analyzed EU member states, where the non-EU immigrant employment rate stood at 66%. Portugal also leads the EU in employment rates for residents born within other EU member states, reaching 83.4%.

The report highlights a narrow gender gap in employment among non-EU immigrants in Portugal. The difference between male (80.4%) and female (71.3%) employment rates is only 9.1 percentage points, the lowest among the 20 countries studied. Notably, the employment rate for non-EU born women in Portugal is identical to that of native-born women at 71.3%.

Despite these high employment levels, the data indicates that one in three foreign workers holds a temporary contract.