The arrival of summer is synonymous with an increase in seasonal work in all sectors of activity, although tourism, agriculture and distribution employ the most during this period. In 2023, temporary employment companies speak of a performance “very comparable to previous years” when it comes to looking for workers. However, data from the Institute of Employment and Professional Training (IEFP) released yesterday shows that in July and August there was an overall increase in the number of people looking for work, and even a decline in offer in August.
According to the IEFP, July and August were marked by an increase in the number of unemployed people registered in the institution’s centers, in contrast to the downward movement since January. In July the number rose to 284 thousand subscribers and in August to 295 thousand.
The number of vacancies has remained relatively stable, always around 16,000: 16,943 in May, down to 16,511 in June, up again to 16,561 in July and down to 16,034 in August.
In the specific case of seasonal work, the IEFP only indicated to DN/Dinheiro Vivo that there was a “decrease in supply” of employment contracts with a term of up to six months in May and June, but without providing figures.
The number of placements fell in June (to a total of 7,659) and in July (to 6,476), after rising in August (to 8,751).
Just last week, a study by the Portuguese Association of Companies in the Private Sector of Employment and Human Resources (APESPE-RH) and ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa concluded that the number of temporary jobs increased by 1.5% in the second quarter of this year decreased. years, to 101,634.
Who hired
With unemployment rising, the majority of vacancies at IEFP branches come from the sectors “housing, restaurants and the like, wholesale and retail trade, public administration, education, health activities and social support”.
The reality of staffing companies is not very different: all organizations contacted by DN/Dinheiro Vivo point to retail, hotels, agriculture and industry as the main sectors that have hired the most staff this summer.
“We had a summer with many seasonal vacancies, just like in previous years,” confirms Eduardo Gomes, manage purchasingr at Multipessoal. The person in charge clarified that production operators and line operators were “the two main profiles requested from us”, to which agricultural and warehouse operators have also been added. The trend was also visible at Randstad Portugal and Adecco.
Supermarkets strengthened
The functions most sought after at large distribution companies were mainly related to replenishment, cash and logistics, especially in the case of Pingo Doce and Aldi. For the latter brand, which is expanding its national coverage and already has more than 135 stores in the country, it was necessary to recruit “about 100 additional employees”. Vera Martinho, HR manager of the company, explains that the summer reinforcements took place mainly in the coastal areas and guarantees that part of the seasonal employees “will be employed [na equipa fixa] at the end of the bathing season”.
An official source from Pingo Doce reports a similar situation, confirming that the number of employees has increased in regions of the country with greater tourist flows, as well as a specific increase in connection with World Youth Day. El Corte Inglés tells DN/DV that it has “not hired any summer reinforcements”, although it is keeping its attraction campaigns “open” to meet internal needs. Before Christmas, the Spanish brand expects to start hiring in September.
Catholic meeting energetic
Both Adecco and Multipessoal highlight the extraordinary dynamism that World Youth Day brought to the Lisbon region, which required the placement of hundreds of employees in temporary positions to support the event. “For Jornada alone, Adecco placed more than 500 people in record time to strengthen teams in companies,” he points out. However, the increasing demand for seasonal vacancies created an additional challenge for recruiters, who saw the supply of candidates shrink. “If, on the one hand [a Jornada] created more seasonal work, on the other hand, it became an even greater challenge to find professionals to fill all these vacancies,” Multipessoal acknowledges.
Despite the increased problems, none of the distribution companies interviewed by DN/DV reported having problems with seasonal hiring, although some of these organizations are reporting an increase in the number of foreign candidates.
With Teresa Costa
Source: DN
