Hospitality, restaurants, retail, logistics, and distribution are some of the sectors that use temporary workers to meet the peak of Christmas demands.

“These sectors face a significant increase in demand due to the spike in activities related to customer service, packaging, stock replenishment and logistics operations,” explains Vanda Santos, director of service and quality at Adecco Portugal, noting that this pattern “is not just in big cities, but throughout the country”.

However, the “high dynamism” of the job market has posed “significant challenges” for companies when hiring workers for seasonal roles, admit recruitment companies consulted by the Lusa agency.

It is worth remembering that Portugal is close to full employment, with the unemployment rate at 6.6% in October, a stabilisation compared to the previous month.

“We experience recruitment difficulties, especially in roles that require some type of specialisation or certification, particularly in the area of ​​transport”, says Lucília Queirós, national corporate sales & foundation leader at Eurofirms Portugal.

And it is also “already noticeable in less specialised functions”, adds Pedro Empis, operational director of talent solutions, at Randstad, in response to Lusa.

Sabrina Barreto also identifies this difficulty, pointing out that “candidates who are employed only look for opportunities that they can combine with their current role (part-time) or something that offers better conditions/stability”.

However, “foreign candidates have contributed to meeting many of the needs”, she adds.

Still, there are cases in which, despite having a “perfectly adequate profile”, they are excluded because “they have pending documents”, adds the ‘central sourcing manager’ of Gi Group.

To overcome these difficulties, recruitment processes begin in September or, at the latest, at the end of October or the beginning of November.

Advance planning “is essential to ensure we can meet our clients’ seasonal needs, ensuring teams are complete and prepared before the busiest period begins,” says Vanda Santos.

On the other hand, there are also those who offer incentives to attract workers. “There are several realities that complement the salary, such as performance bonuses, meal vouchers or even incentives related to the products and services of end customers, which act as factors to candidates”, explains Pedro Empis.

Another incentive “is greater adaptability of schedules to respond to candidate availability”, adds Lucília Queirós.

Furthermore, “to make temporary positions more attractive, companies often offer the possibility of permanent integration, which can be a decisive factor in accepting the vacancy”, concludes Sabrina Barreto.