“A quality job is not necessarily a qualified job. The aim is that all jobs, whether highly, moderately, or non-qualified in terms of skills, are quality jobs,” said today to journalists in Porto, on the sidelines of the Social Forum, taking place at the Palácio de Cristal.
For the minister, quality jobs mean “adequate salaries, good working conditions, safety and health, opportunities for professional training, including retraining for adaptation to the digital era, and a suitable balance between work and family.”
“A quality job covers any position, so all employment is under consideration here, naturally aligned with the forum’s concerns,” she asserted.
Addressed on how to ensure these quality conditions, Rosário Palma Ramalho acknowledged that it is true that the Portuguese average salary “is one of the lowest” in Europe.
“This Government has been working on it for a year and a half, and as you know, last year, a tripartite agreement was reached to raise the minimum wage above what was expected,” she recalled.
According to the official, this trajectory should “continue to be fulfilled,” noting that the agreement includes “a forecast for adjustment until 2028.”
“Naturally, we will have to reassess because, meanwhile, the legislature now extends to 2029, and the Government’s goal has increased from 1,000 euros in 2028 to 1,100 in 2029, so we are working on raising wages,” she said.
Asked about the expected figure for the minimum wage increase for 2026, the minister refrained from making announcements, emphasizing only that the value “will be as stated in the current agreement,” which sets 920 euros in 2026, above the current 870 euros gross.
“For now, that’s what’s there, that’s what we have agreed with the social partners. As you know, this Government takes social dialogue very seriously, and therefore the Government will not predict any value, as other Governments have done before speaking in social dialogue,” she concluded.
Under the theme “Quality jobs in a competitive social Europe,” the Porto Social Forum will allow for “an assessment of the progress made in implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan and the EU’s three social goals for 2030 regarding employment, training, and poverty reduction,” announced the European Commission in a statement released on Wednesday.
In May 2021, when Portugal held the rotating presidency of the EU Council and António Costa was Prime Minister, a social summit was held in Porto, providing a new political boost to implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights, with targets such as achieving a 78% employment rate, ensuring that 60% of adults have annual training, and lifting 15 million people out of the risk of poverty or social exclusion.
The Porto Social Forum is an initiative of the Portuguese Government, supported by the European Commission, in collaboration with the European Parliament and the European Council.
