For many young adults in Portugal, the idea of building a future abroad is no longer a distant possibility. A new survey finds that 51.4% have seriously considered emigrating, drawn primarily by higher salaries and better working conditions. Yet only 10.5% have a concrete plan to leave — revealing a generation caught between the opportunities it hopes to find elsewhere and the life it might still build at home.
A better salary. A clearer path to promotion. The prospect of finding a job that leaves enough time and money to enjoy life outside work. For young people entering Portugal’s labour market, these are increasingly important considerations when deciding whether their future lies at home or overseas.
The figures come from A Geração Z e o Futuro do Trabalho (Generation Z and the Future of Work), a study conducted by research institute Netsonda for recruitment company Eurofirms. Reported by Portuguese weekly Expresso on 29 October 2026, the findings are based on a July survey of 600 people aged between 18 and 29.
The headline figure is striking: 51.4% said they had seriously considered emigrating. But the detail tells a more complicated story.
Only 10.5% of respondents had a concrete plan to move abroad. Another 40.9% were still undecided, while 34.3% said they had considered leaving before ultimately deciding to stay in Portugal.
These distinctions matter. Thinking seriously about emigration is not the same as buying a plane ticket, accepting a job overseas or making arrangements to relocate. The survey measures intentions and attitudes, not departures.
Why salaries remain the strongest reason to leave
Among respondents who had considered emigrating, 66.9% identified higher wages abroad as a major attraction.
That result challenges the familiar portrayal of Generation Z as a group primarily concerned with workplace culture, personal fulfilment and flexibility rather than pay. Those factors still matter, but financial security remains central to the choices young adults are making.
For 42.9% of those considering emigration, quality of life and a better work-life balance were also important motivations. Housing was mentioned by 18.1%.
The combination is revealing. A salary is not simply a number on a payslip: it shapes where someone can afford to live, whether they can become financially independent and how much freedom they have to make longer-term plans.
The survey does not establish how many young people would actually earn more abroad, or how their living costs might change after moving. What it does capture is the appeal of opportunities that respondents believe may be more accessible outside Portugal.
Lucília Queirós, director of Eurofirms Portugal, argues that remuneration remains essential, but that employers also need to offer credible career prospects, good working conditions and a reasonable balance between professional and personal life.
For young workers, the decision is therefore not necessarily a simple choice between Portugal and a higher salary elsewhere. It can involve weighing several aspects of the life they hope to build.
The frustration begins before the first job
The survey also highlights difficulties that arise long before someone starts considering an international move.
Some 37.9% of respondents pointed to employers demanding previous professional experience for entry-level positions.
It is a familiar contradiction for graduates and young applicants: companies advertise junior opportunities while expecting candidates to possess experience they have not yet had a chance to acquire.
Recruitment itself can also become a source of frustration.
Depending on their employment situation, between 47% and 51% of respondents identified a lack of replies from recruiters as a significant problem. Among employed young people looking for another position, 41% criticised the lack of transparency around salaries and working conditions.
Taken together, these findings suggest that dissatisfaction is not limited to the amount employers are willing to pay. The process of finding work, understanding what a position offers and seeing how a career might develop can also shape young people’s confidence in the Portuguese labour market.
A promising vacancy loses some of its appeal when the salary is unclear. A graduate opportunity becomes less accessible when it demands experience. And a recruitment process that ends without a response can leave candidates unsure where they stand.
None of these frustrations automatically leads to emigration. But they help explain why looking beyond Portugal’s borders may seem attractive to some young adults.
A generation that has not yet made up its mind
Perhaps the most important finding is not how many young people have considered leaving, but how many have yet to decide.
The 40.9% who have seriously contemplated emigration without settling on a concrete plan represent a substantial group whose future choices remain open.
For employers, that creates an opportunity — although not necessarily an easy one.
Queirós advocates greater transparency during recruitment, clearer professional development opportunities and better access to training. She also argues for stronger links between education and employment, including internships integrated into academic programmes and supported by appropriate supervision.
Crucially, career progression must be realistic. Promising advancement that a company cannot deliver may ultimately deepen the disappointment employers are trying to prevent.
There are limits to what the findings can tell us. The survey does not provide a historical comparison showing whether emigration intentions have increased, nor does it predict how many respondents will eventually leave Portugal.
It does, however, illuminate an important distinction in the country’s ongoing debate about retaining young talent: a young person who imagines a future abroad has not necessarily given up on a future in Portugal.
For many, the question may still depend on whether the jobs, salaries and opportunities available at home begin to match the ambitions they are being encouraged to pursue.
