“Desirable” PORTUGAL

At every corner there will always be an opportunity… on the current days Portugal is no exception to this statement; on the contrary!

Portugal has all the raw materials to continue to be a desirable area, from North to South. Appealing labour costs and a secular history are some of the attributes that provide Portugal with advantages, in terms of competitiveness, to entice anyone that wishes to invest.

It is in areas such as medicine, engineering, technology and industry that we are often referred across borders. NASA itself makes use of components made in Portugal, not to mention the major car brands, which continue to contract with companies in located in Marinha Grande area and other locations in the country, to manufacture parts and equipment for this industry.

We have everything so Portugal can remain desirable in the upcoming years,  despite the economic crises that, cyclically, have been interfering in the path of development. One of these crises, which shook the international economic and financial sector, took place between 2008 and 2013, and was overcome with Portugal having to request a rescue and financing packages from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Although this crisis has left some wounds in the country, everything indicates that the foundations to sustain investments and investors from the four corners of the world have been strengthened.

One of the many opportunities and where there has been high growth relates to opportunities in the Coworking and Coliving Spaces sectors. The latter is a housing concept that is growing in major cities worldwide and, according to a study, Portugal is the most attractive European country for this segment of the real estate market. It is shared by thousands of young people, expatriate workers, researchers or professionals in the beginning of their careers, looking for a space where they can live without contractual obligations and perhaps find others who nurture the same interests and ways of being.

Portugal is currently the seventh country in the world with the best level of English proficiency, according to the EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) report – which analyses data from 2 million non-native English speakers in 112 countries and regions.

The results of the Portuguese exams were this year better than the results of Sweden (8th), Finland (9th) and Croatia (10th). In a ranking led by the Netherlands for the second year in a row, Portugal comes only behind Austria (2nd), Denmark (3rd), Singapore (4th), Norway (5th) and Belgium (6th). A total of 625 points achieved by the Portuguese, the best result ever, after having entered the strict group of countries with “high proficiency” in English for the first time.

It is important to continue to set goals focused on growth and expansion, offering real investment and development opportunities, both personal and professional, attracting those who are already looking for us and others, those who visit and end up staying.