According to Brighter Future da Fundação José Neves, between 2010 and 2020, the average salary increased, in real terms, by just €41. The Algarve is also where there is the smallest salary discrepancy between men and women (-96€).

Workers between 45 and 54 years old receive the highest average salary (€1,130) and those aged between 15 and 24 have an average salary of less than €867.

In the Algarve, air traffic controllers and electronic systems security (€7,332) are among the highest-paying professions. The electricity, gas, steam, water, and air sectors (€2,092) and financial and insurance activities (€2,040) are among the sectors that offer the best salaries.

Young workforce

The Algarve is the region with the highest percentage of workers under the age of 35 (32%) in the country - along with the Lisbon Metropolitan Area -, followed by the Autonomous Region of the Azores. Given the region's tourist attractiveness, the sector that generates the most jobs is, naturally, accommodation and catering (24%), as well as retail trade (15%). Workers are mostly between 35 and 44 years old (27%), between 45 and 54 years old (24%), and between 25 and 34 years old (23%).

Between 2010 and 2020, the number of workers in the region grew by 13%, reaching 143,000. In 2019, in the pre-pandemic period, the largest number of workers in the region was recorded (158,616).

Under educated

After the Alentejo and the Autonomous Region of the Azores, the Algarve is the region in the country with the lowest percentage of workers with higher education (16%). Most workers attended only basic education (49%) and secondary education (35%), and around 14% have a degree. Health, business sciences, and related engineering and techniques are the most common areas of training. The number of unemployed among recent graduates decreased by almost 4% between 2014 (9.1%) and 2021 (5.4%).

The José Neves Foundation's Brighter Future portal is the largest knowledge base on Education, Employability, and Skills in Portugal, allowing you to compare and relate information on around 4,500 courses and training courses, more than 1,800 professions, and more than 1,800 relevant skills.