There are more and more young people with higher education in Portugal and “the higher the qualifications, the greater the prospect of a better life”, highlights the State of Education 2023 report, released by the CNE.

In 2023, the employment rate of young adults (between 25 and 34 years old) with secondary or post-secondary education was 84.9%, a figure that rose to 88.3% among young people with higher education.

In addition to being easier to get a job, those with higher education earn “a monthly income corresponding, on average, to 173% of the average salary of workers who complete high school”, says the annual report.

The researchers conclude that “studying pays off”, but warn of the “notable differences” between salaries paid in Portugal and in other European countries.

Compared to Spaniards, Portuguese workers earned 800 euros less, according to a rough approximation of median monthly income in 2022.

Compared to Estonia, the Portuguese received an average of one thousand euros less, a difference that increases even more when compared to the salaries paid in Italy (two thousand euros more) or in Ireland and Germany, which are more than four thousand euros every month.

“The low values ​​of labour remuneration in Portugal may constitute a disincentive to the qualification of younger people and the requalification of older people and, in this way, compromise the effort to increase the qualifications of Portuguese people”, warns the study, which recommends a reinforcement of policies that promote the training of young people and adults.

“Note that, despite the recognised progress achieved over the last few decades, in 2023, 40.6% of Portuguese people had, at most, a basic education diploma, the highest percentage of low qualifications of the 27 countries in the European Union”, highlights the president of the CNE, Domingos Fernandes.

Regional differences

Despite the general increase in the population's qualifications, there are still major regional asymmetries, as is the case in the Algarve, the Azores and Madeira, where the population's education level is much lower than that recorded, for example, in the north or centre of the country.

Recalling studies that point to the strong impact of parental training on their children's academic success - half of young people “replicate their parents' low qualifications” - the researchers call for measures to guarantee the involvement of adults in education and training activities.

“The consistent improvement in real enrolment and completion rates in secondary education over the last three decades has been relevant for increasing the qualifications of young adults”, highlights the president of the CNE, Domingos Fernandes, in the introductory text of the report.

The study shows that it is also necessary to look at young male adults, as they are now the ones who leave school most early, whereas a few decades ago, this was a more common practice among girls.

“Therefore, two challenges remain: encouraging boys to obtain more advanced study diplomas and developing strategies that make it possible to understand and resolve regional asymmetries”, conclude the researchers.

The number of young people who do not study or work has also decreased: The proportion of young people between 18 and 24 years old in this situation went from 18.3% in 2016 to 13.2% in 2023, a year in which more than half (55.3% ) was still studying and 31.6% were working.

In higher education, the CNE advocates strengthening policies for granting scholarships to those most in need and expanding the supply of student housing at affordable costs.