For companies looking to set up BPOs in Portugal, the country has no shortage of talent being an attractive destination for freelancers, digital nomads and tech migrants.
Portugal is emerging as Europe’s tech hub, becoming the destination for Silicon Valley companies like Google and Amazon, and a top nearshoring or offshoring option for European neighbors.
This country of 10 million has a lot going for it: a strong information and communications technology (ICT) industry that contributes close to USD 20 billion in revenues, unwavering government support in promoting digital competencies, and a rich talent pool that continues to grow annually as new STEM graduates are added.
Growing talent pool
Portugal’s rich pool of tech talent consists of more than just the local graduates from the country’s top universities. Many of them are techies from parts of Europe—Brazil, Germany, France and United Kingdom—tech migrants who are drawn to Portugal for many reasons. Others are Portuguese who have come back home to apply skills they have learned abroad.
Because of Portugal’s shrinking population and brain drain caused by Portuguese who migrated to Europe during the 2008 financial crisis, the country has been aggressively attracting foreigners to live, work, and visit.
But what exactly is Portugal’s draw?
- Good quality of life – Unlike many cosmopolitan European cities like Berlin, London, Stockholm or Zurich, real estate prices and cost of living are much lower in Portugal.
- Migrant-friendly policies – In an effort to attract immigrants, Portugal established the NHR (non-habitual resident) tax regime in 2009, offering lucrative tax breaks for foreign residents. Freelancers, particularly, are classified as active entrepreneurs and can legally apply for residency under immigration article 89, which can be processed in 6 to 8 months. These friendly policies have made the capital city of Lisbon one of Europe’s five best cities for freelancers in 2020, according to CEOworld Magazine, and no.15 on NomadList as the most popular city for remote work.
- Safety – Portugal is one of the safest places in Europe and ranks no. 3 out of 163 countries in the 2020 Global Peace Index. It boasts of the world’s lowest crime rates, and violent crimes occur rarely.
Continuously drawing in freelancers, tech migrants and digital nomads over the years, Portugal promises a strong talent pool that can be tapped by companies looking to set up BPOs in the country. Whether it be customer service outsourcing, IT and software development, or finance and accounting, Portugal is not running out of talent any time soon.
If you are looking to set up a BPO in Europe, look no further than Portugal. Wingspan can help you find you find and hire top-quality local talent to staff your team. And with our solid experience in BPO consulting, we can help you get your BPO operations up and running while ironing out the complexities of setting up a company in Portugal—so you can focus on what you do best. Email solution@wingspan-consulting.com to understand how we can help.