Portugal is the European Union country where online job advertisements for information and communication technology (ICT) specialists carry the most weight in the total offers. According to Eurostat data for the last 12 months until June, 13.2% of online job advertisements published in Portugal were targeted at this sector, the highest value since the fourth quarter of 2022 and more than double the EU average, which stands at 6.2%. Portugal thus leads the European ranking for the first time since the first two quarters of 2021, at the peak of the pandemic, when ICT reached 20% of advertisements. The number of advertisements for ICT specialists has been growing systematically since the second quarter of 2025, with a 4.9% increase compared to the previous year, and Portugal is the only country with consistent year-on-year increases over the last four quarters.
The Metropolitan Area of Lisbon also stands out in the European data, ranking third highest proportion among the 242 EU regions, with 17.6% of advertisements seeking these professionals. Only Ceuta and the Comunidad de Madrid are ahead. The Northern region, with 12.7%, has approximately double the European average. According to other Eurostat data, Portugal was also the country with the highest growth in employment of people with ICT training from 2022 to 2025, with a 59% increase in three years, ahead of Bulgaria, Luxembourg and Austria. ICT services are today responsible for four times more exports than 10 years ago, exceeding 5 billion euros.
Experts such as Ana Castro, COO of the Babel Group, and Cláudia Mendes, leader of Women in Tech Portugal, point to several factors for this dynamics. Portugal benefits from room to grow compared to other countries, given that the adoption of advanced technologies such as cloud and artificial intelligence is still below the European average. The country has been strengthening digital infrastructure and attracting technological projects, competence centers and operations that work for international markets. Israeli, Lebanese and North American companies are establishing themselves in Portugal and creating technological hubs, making the country an attractive hub for professionals of various nationalities. The demand is mainly for highly qualified and specialized talent, with more senior than junior profiles.
Contrary to what was expected about artificial intelligence destroying jobs, the data suggests the trend is going the opposite way. Cláudia Mendes believes there is room for demand to continue growing, given that AI, cybersecurity, cloud, data and automation are still in a growth phase. A Stanford University study supports that there are no signs of widespread job destruction associated with AI. The sector's sustainability will depend on training and reskilling more people, retaining experienced professionals and continuing to attract international talent to areas where national supply remains insufficient.
