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1. Governance

2. Cross-sectorial cooperation

Governance

At the entrepreneurial level, the Government initiated the National Strategy for Entrepreneurship – StartUp Portugal in 2016. This strategy encompasses a series of measures and initiatives designed to foster the entrepreneurial ecosystem, with specific provisions targeting young people, such as Startup Funding for Young Entrepreneurs and the Promotion of Entrepreneurship Culture (https://startupportugal.com/).

In Portugal, the entity that oversees labour is the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security.

Under the supervision of this Ministry, there are direct administration services, which include, among others, the Authority for Labour Conditions (Autoridade para as Condições do Trabalho ACT) and the Directorate-General for Employment and Labour Relations (Direção-Geral para o Emprego e Relações do Trabalho); and indirect administration services, among which the Institute of Social Security, (Instituto da Segurança Social, I.P.- ISS) and the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training, (Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional – IEFP, I.P.). 

There are also joint supervisory entities, such as the National Agency for Qualification and Vocational Education (Agência Nacional para a Qualificação e o Ensino Profissional I.P (ANQEP, IP). Most active labour market policies are implemented by the public employment and vocational training services (IEFP, I.P.), which intervene at a national, regional and local level in the mainland (Continental Portugal).

IEFP, I.P., is the public entity that implements active labour market policies. Its mission is to promote the creation and quality of employment and to combat unemployment through the implementation of active labour market policies, including employment, vocational training and professional rehabilitation policies.

The control of compliance with labour standards is the responsibility of ACT, which is also responsible for the safety and health at work.

Unemployment protection and other social policies are promoted by the public social security services (SS) that intervene at the national, regional and local levels in the mainland (Continental Portugal) and at the level of the autonomous regions of Madeira and Azores, through the Institute of Social Security (ISS).

The Act ruling the social security system (Law no. 4/2007, of 16th January, updated by the Law no. 83-A/2013, of 30th December) defines the ground rules for the Portuguese welfare system. Its funding comes from the contributions paid by employers and workers, within the framework of the mandatory social security's welfare system.

There is also a national body to promote equality and non-discrimination between men and women in the work, employment and vocational training life, the Commission for Equality in Labour and Employment (CITE).

Regarding funding, active labour market policies are partly financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) for the period between 2021 and 2027, in particular the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), which is the main instrument to promote employment in the context of the Europe 2020 growth strategy.

The main Actors

Government authorities

Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security

Responsible for formulating, implementing, and evaluating employment, vocational training, labour relations, working conditions, solidarity, and social security policies. Coordinates social policies supporting families, children, youth at risk, the elderly, birthrate, disability inclusion, poverty reduction, and social inclusion.

Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP, I.P.) (Instituto de Emprego e Formação Profissional)

A public entity under the Ministry of Labour's supervision, responsible for implementing active labour market policies. Promotes measures to combat unemployment through vocational training and professional rehabilitation. Manages Youth Guarantee programme measures related to employment, traineeships, hiring support, and entrepreneurship.

Directorate-General for Employment and Labour Relations (Direção-Geral do Emprego e das Relações de Trabalho) 

Supports policy design on employment and vocational training, certifies training providers, regulates access to professions and industrial relations, promotes occupational safety and health, social dialogue, collective bargaining, and prevents labour disputes.

Authority for Labour Conditions (Autoridade para as Condições do Trabalho)

Promotes improved working conditions by enforcing labour regulations in private labour relations and promoting safety and health at work in all sectors.

Institute of Social Security (Instituto da Segurança Social, I.P.)

A public institute under the Ministry of Labour's supervision. Ensures welfare and social inclusion within the social security system by recognising rights and ensuring compliance with obligations. Implements and monitors measures to integrate youth into the labour market in cooperation with employers.

Minister of Economy (Ministério da Economia)

Responsible for the Portuguese economy, particularly in industry, energy, commerce, tourism, and services.

Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (IAPMEI — Agência para a Competitividade e Inovação, I.P.) 

A public institution under the Ministry of Economy's supervision. Promotes competitiveness and business growth. Supports the conception, implementation, and assessment of measures and policies for youth under the StartUp Portugal strategy.

Directorate-General of Education (Direção-Geral da Educação)

Implements policies on preschool, basic, secondary, and extracurricular education. Provides technical support for policy formulation. Monitors employment and entrepreneurship measures with inter-sectoral educational relations.

National Agency for Qualification and Vocational Education (Agência Nacional para a Qualificação e o Ensino Profissional, I.P.) 

A public institute under the Ministries of Education and Labour's supervision. Implements and coordinates education and vocational training policies for youth and adults. Manages skills recognition, validation, and certification systems.

Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth (Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude, I.P.) 

A public institute with administrative and financial autonomy. Develops youth sector initiatives in several areas of intervention. 

Regional level

At a regional level, the Autonomous Regions of Madeira and Azores have autonomy in developing, implementing, and administering youth policies, each with a regional office. They also have autonomy in employment and vocational training policy, with regional public services independent from IEFP, I.P., which only has jurisdiction over the mainland. These services are the Regional Directorate for Employment and Professional Qualification in the Azores and the Employment Institute in Madeira. Youth Guarantee measures are only applied on the mainland, with specific regional plans managed by these entities.

In Azores, the Regional Directorate for Youth (Direção Regional de Juventude) is the executive service of the Regional Deputy-Secretary of the Presidency for Parliamentary Affairs, responsible for youth policy conception, implementation, and assessment. In Madeira, the Regional Directorate for Youth and Sports (Direção Regional de Juventude e Desporto) operates under the Regional Secretariat of Education, with initiatives and programmes in employment and entrepreneurship.

Non-governmental organisations

Committees, Confederations and Trade Unions

Standing Committee on Social Dialogue (CPCS) The tripartite body for social consultation, regulated by law and organised in consultation and negotiation mechanisms. It mediates social dialogue and negotiates between the Government and social partners – trade union confederations and employers' confederations.

Its main responsibility is promoting social dialogue to facilitate agreements. It also comments on legislation and policies in socio-economic development fields and proposes solutions. In recent years, it has concluded several agreements on employment policies and legislation.

Besides the Standing Committee for Social Dialogue (CPCS), the main organisations constituting this intersectoral dialogue entity for labour policy definition are:

On the employers' side:

Confederation of Portuguese Farmers (Confederação dos Agricultores Portugueses)

Portuguese Commerce and Services Confederation (Confederação Portuguesa de Comércio e Serviços)

Confederation of Portuguese Business (Confederação Industrial Portuguesa)

Confederation of Portuguese Tourism (Confederação Portuguesa do Turismo)

On the employees' side:

General Confederation of Portuguese Workers – National Intersindical – CGTP-IN (Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses – Intersindical Nacional): a trade union confederation made up of national trade union associations that voluntarily join CGTP-IN. Within CGTP-IN, there are organisations with their own specific bodies, such as Interjovem – an organisation of young workers composed of young trade union officials.

General Union of Workers (União Geral dos Trabalhadores - UGT): a trade union confederation composed of democratic trade unions that voluntarily join UGT. One of its organs is a Youth Committee.

Other non-governmental organisations

National Association of Young Entrepreneurs (Associação Nacional dos Jovens Empresários) A private association of public utility representing young Portuguese entrepreneurs and supporting their business activities.

It is a key institution for promoting young entrepreneurship, developing initiatives to foster employment and entrepreneurship based on innovation, research, and development.

Some initiatives and programmes closely cooperate with public entities, particularly IEFP, I.P., which supports the Academy of Entrepreneurs created by ANJE to promote a culture of initiative and risk among Portuguese youth.

National Youth Council (Conselho Nacional de Juventude) The representative platform for national youth organisations, covering diverse expressions of youth associations (cultural, environmental, scouting, partisan, student, trade unionist, and confessional).

The National Youth Council promotes discussions about Portuguese youth and mediates with governmental institutions as an advisor or representative of young people.

Federation of Local Youth Associations (Federação Nacional das Associações Juvenis) The official network representing local youth associations and their regional federations.

Through its activities promoting youth associations, it is involved in various initiatives and measures in employment and entrepreneurship, working closely with local public administration.

Foundation of Youth (Fundação da Juventude) A private non-profit institution of public interest focused on training, entrepreneurship, and supporting youth employment.

It is responsible for implementing the “PEJENE” – Programme of Internships for Young College and University Students in Companies and Company Nests.

Cross-sectoral cooperation

In some initiatives and measures in the employment and entrepreneurship field – where the Youth Guarantee programme stands out – there is an interministerial collaboration, namely between the Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, the Minister of Education, through the Directorate-General of Education (DGE) and the National Agency for Qualification and Vocational Education (ANQEP) and the Minister of Economy, in their respective areas of competence, according to the typologies of the programmes and measures.

In the entrepreneurship domain, there is an interministerial collaboration with the Minister of Economy, through IAPMEI – Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation.

In the context of measures to integrate young people into the labour market, particularly in the domain of internships and international mobility, there is an interministerial cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The programme of professional internships in Public Administration, framed in the measures of the National Plan for the Implementation of a Youth Guarantee, includes, at a central level, the involvement of various ministries and public entities, such as the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth. Locally, it is coordinated through the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, and it is part of the Directorate-General of Local Authorities (DGAL).

Parliamentary level

The Portuguese Parliament has specialised committees, as the Committee on Culture, Communication, Youth and Sports, in activity since 12th November 2015. Among other competencies, in the field of youth, the committee is responsible for dealing with youth policies, regarding employment and entrepreneurship. It should maintain a dialogue and relate its work to the other specialised committees, in particular the 10th Parliamentary Committee on Labour and Social Security.