Portugal faces a contradiction in the labor market: many companies claim they cannot find workers, but youth unemployment remains far above the national average. According to Statistics Portugal, in December 2025, the unemployment rate stood at 5.6%, but reached 18.4% among young people aged 16 to 24. The article argues that it is not just qualified workers that are lacking, but also the capacity to integrate, train, and retain a generation that is indispensable to the future of businesses and the country.
The entry of young people renews organizations with new skills and perspectives, but the article argues that this renewal should not mean replacing older professionals. The experience of older professionals and the adaptability of younger ones are presented as complementary, not competing. Knowledge is transmitted when experience teaches what textbooks cannot convey and new generations challenge outdated practices.
Population aging makes this issue urgent. An IEFP report, based on Eurostat projections, points to a 5.2% reduction in Portugal's working-age population by 2030, which could reach 21% by 2050. Official audit and accountancy review, like other areas, faces challenges of digitalization, new sustainability requirements, and the use of artificial intelligence, while simultaneously needing both prepared young people and experienced professionals who can transmit principles and rigor to them.
Training those who are just starting out is presented as an investment, not a cost. For young people to stay, they need fair salaries, career progression prospects, and conditions to build a career. The article argues that professional associations, companies, and educational institutions must work together to make different professions known to students and create bridges between the education system and the labor market. Talent retention also depends on a cultural change: stopping the view of young people as incomplete professionals and seeing them as people in training who are worth investing in.
