In front of the Santa Maria hospital, in the north of Lisbon, Isabel walks hurriedly among the patients, while heading towards the parking lot. Dark circles under her eyes, loose hair and loaded with several bags, this 38-year-old surgeon, who prefers to remain anonymous, heads home to change, before leaving to supplement her salary in a private clinic. “I work forty hours a week in this public hospital for only 2,000 euros net per month, even though I specialized in surgery for six years. That’s not enough to live decently, if only because for 1,300 euros per month, you can no longer find accommodation in Lisbon, she explains, without hiding her anger and fatigue, in the difficult context of shortage of caregivers. I also have to pay for daycare for my two daughters. And food prices continue to soar. So I also work five hours a week in a private clinic, not counting the operations that I carry out in my “free” time. In total, I work sixty hours a week to earn 4,000 euros net per month. »
In February, Portugal’s National Statistics Institute published the number of Portuguese with two or even three jobs. In 2023, it will exceed 250,000 (out of a population of 5 million workers, or 5%). A record, which contrasts with economic indicators that are a priori in good shape: a growth rate of 2.3% in 2023, debt brought below 100% of gross domestic product much earlier than expected and an unemployment rate limited to 6.5% of assets. More than half of them are college graduates.
But it is among the least trained that employment growth is greatest. Brazilian Marcia Alvaro, 42, is both a cleaner in tourist accommodation and a carpenter. Diego, who did not wish to give his name, drives cars for the digital platform Bolt, and also delivers pharmaceutical products.
Difficulty paying bills
In the streets of Lisbon stormed by tourists – but also by rich expatriates, American and European digital nomads or Russian oligarchs – inequalities are more and more striking, reflecting a two-speed economy. On the one hand, the Portuguese capital rose from 20e at 8e place in the Barnes City Index 2024, which ranks the cities that attract the most ultra-rich people eager to invest in luxury real estate.
On the other hand, three out of four Portuguese families had difficulty paying their bills in 2023, according to the annual barometer of the consumer defense organization, Deco Proteste, made public on Wednesday March 20. According to the survey carried out among 7,000 people, and relating to the burden of expenditure on food, education, housing, transport, health and leisure, 75% of households in Portugal are concerned, and 7% find themselves in a situation “ critical “. Unsurprisingly, it is the housing crisis – sharp rises in rents for tenants and interest rates for owners – which is at the origin of the main problems.
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