“We are living in a time when working for the local administration has ceased to be attractive for various reasons,” stated Luísa Salgueiro, president of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities (ANMP), addressing journalists at the conclusion of the board meeting held at the association’s headquarters in Coimbra.
During this meeting, a document containing the ANMP’s contributions towards state reform was discussed. This document, to be submitted first to the government, will include, as noted by Luísa Salgueiro, issues such as the need for revising local administration careers and remuneration conditions.
Salgueiro recalled the issue of careers, highlighting the disappearance of several specialized areas such as carpenters, electricians, or mechanics, which are now grouped under the broad category of operational assistants, lacking “attractive progression opportunities.”
Furthermore, she observed that the central administration competes with local administration, offering better remuneration for senior technicians performing the same roles and responsibilities.
“We are witnessing a drain of staff to the central administration,” she warned.
According to Salgueiro, it is becoming “difficult to recruit and retain” employees, including leaders and managers, given a “very dynamic” market and a private sector capable of offering “better conditions.”
“All of this deserves reflection,” she argued, suggesting that municipalities’ difficulties in assuming more responsibilities now go beyond financial conditions, extending to the lack of “capable, ready, and competent personnel to carry out tasks.”
If Portugal faces a labor shortage, municipalities “have a problem retaining human resources,” she cautioned, noting that some municipal services are already “in breakdown because existing staff is insufficient or lacking the right profile.”
