In Portugal, the participation rate of the population between 15 and 64 years old has increased markedly since 2014. This has been reflecting the higher participation rates across the several age cohorts (intra-age group effect), as their profile tend to be pro-cyclical. The women’s contribution has been remarkable in the past two decades, in line with a clear generational transition towards an increasing labour market participation. More recently, this effect has been also visible in the men’s contribution, reflecting the steep increase of the participation rates in the older cohorts. 

This development has been partly offset by the negative impact of ageing (demographic effect), as the elder age groups have been increasing their relative share and have lower participation rates.

For further details see the Special Issue "Demographic changes and labour supply in Portugal" published in the Economic Bulletin of Banco de Portugal, June 2019.

Prepared by Vanda Geraldes da Cunha, Fernando Martins and Ana Catarina Pimenta. The analyses, opinions and findings expressed above represent the views of the authors and not necessarily those of Banco de Portugal or the Eurosystem.

If you want to receive an e-mail whenever a new “Economics in a picture” is published send your request to info@bportugal.pt.