Desemprego em Portugal

: o papel do Estado

Abstract

This work is based on a reflection on how the Portuguese State positions itself in relation to the unemployed. More specifically, on the vision that the Portuguese Government has on this social problem, as well as the representations of a group of unemployed on the way the State acts in relation to the protection of the unemployed. The main objectives that we seek to achieve with this work are to understand what are the supports and measures that exist in Portugal to help people in unemployment situation, as well as what are the representations of these people before the supports that are provided by the State in order to identify possible gaps or barriers in the support system and propose solutions to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of these programs. To achieve these objectives, we used a methodological triangulation, making a qualitative analysis of data from INE and Pordata on the level of unemployment in Portugal, a semi-structured exploratory interview with a member of the Government, linked to the area of Labor and an online survey of people who are or have been unemployed in the last three years. The results obtained reveal that, despite the efforts that have been made by the State to make the unemployed feel supported and safe, the latter do not consider it to be sufficient and effective. Regarding their reintegration into the labour market, there are several measures available, and vocational training is the focus on increasing the possibilities of employability. The interviewees make it clear that there is room for improvement in public policy, emphasizing the fact that they do not feel fully supported by the state and, although our interviewee reinforced the idea that solutions have to be diversified for each type of individual need, the unemployed do not think that their interest and personal characteristics are being considered.

Date of Award	30 Oct 2023
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Sandra Lima Coelho (Supervisor)