Portugal: among top 10 digitally advanced nations in EU by 2030

Portugal aims to rank among the top 10 most digitally advanced European Union Member States by 2030. The Portugal Digital 2030 Strategy, approved on 30 December 2024 and aligned with the EU’s ‘Digital Decade 2030’ programme, supports this ambition. It outlines key initiatives to empower citizens digitally, emphasising digital literacy, education, and training to meet the evolving demands of the labour market.

The newly formed government’s programme further advances policies focused on skills development and adapting work organisation to new technologies.

VET central to digital transition

The government aims to modernise and re-equip the 365 Specialised Technological Centres, allocating EUR 480 million from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP). These centres provide lower secondary vocational education and develop new courses linked to the green and digital transitions, focusing on strategic areas such as digital technologies, IT, industry, and renewable energy.

Upskilling and reskilling for inclusive growth

The strategy includes the launch of the Digital Skills Pact to boost specialised talent training. This national initiative involves cooperation with the business sector, using higher education institutions, public funding, and candidate selection support from the public employment service, alongside sectoral associations.

The Pact targets employed and unemployed individuals, with particular attention to vulnerable groups and regions with limited access to training. 

Labour market adaptation and employment opportunities.

The strategy acknowledges the deep impact of digitalisation on the labour market and aims to prepare the workforce for emerging job profiles and industries. It supports the creation and revision of sector-specific training programmes, updates to the qualifications catalogue, and the promotion of the vocational school network. 

Digital strategy for education 

Plans include developing and implementing a Digital Strategy for Education to foster skill and inclusion. This involves increased investment in digitalisation, the creation of innovative digital educational resources and the use of AI to support personalised student learning.

Automation and AI reshape labour market

The policy paper ´Automation and Artificial Intelligence in the Portuguese Labour Market: Challenges and Opportunities´, published in April by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation (a non-profit organisation that publishes books and conducts research on relevant social issues), examines how these technological trends are reshaping the Portuguese labour market. It identifies the occupations and regions most vulnerable to technological change, outlines the most in-demand skills and suggests public policy solutions. Key findings include:

• 35.7% of jobs are unlikely to be automated or benefit from digitalisation;
• 28.9% of the workforce is in occupations highly vulnerable to automation and AI, such as waiters and bartenders, mobile equipment operators, and cooks;
• 22.5% of the labour market comprises occupations likely to benefit from digitalisation, including roles in education and training and specialists in sales, marketing, finance, and accounting.

To address these challenges, particularly in VET, the paper recommends promoting workforce adaptability through reskilling and VET programmes, focusing on workers in at-risk occupations, and reforming curricula to include digital literacy, AI proficiency, and data analysis and communication skills.

Several initiatives have already been implemented under the RRP to support upskilling and reskilling, including the Adults Impulse Programme, the Youth STEAM incentive, and the More digital employment 2025 programme.

Read more

• Portugal’s National Digital Strategy
• EU’s ‘Digital Decade 2030’ programme
• XXV Constitutional Government Programme (2025)
• Automation and Artificial Intelligence in the Portuguese Labour Market: Challenges and Opportunities
• Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update) [online tool].