Independence is increasingly difficult for young Portuguese people to achieve and the overwhelming majority, between the ages of 15 and 24, still live with their parents, despite the growing levels of qualification in the country.
In Portugal, 95% of young people aged between 15 and 24 were still living with their parents last year. It is the fourth highest value in the European Union and when compared with the reality in the country two decades ago (in 2004, it was only 86%) it translates to “a more difficult independence”.
The conclusions are contained in a Pordata report released today and which outlines a portrait of young people, on the occasion of the World Youth Day, which takes place between Tuesday and Sunday in Lisbon.
On average, young people are unable to leave their parents' home until they are 30 years old.
“There are several factors that explain this,” the chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation (FFMS) told Lusa, referring, as an example, to the working conditions of young people in Portugal.
According to the data, six out of 10 young employees work in precarious jobs – a reality that affects 14% of workers between the ages of 25 and 64 – and about half say they are in this situation because they cannot find permanent work.
Portugal is the 5th country in the European Union with the highest proportion of young people with precarious work ties and ranks 7th in terms of the highest rates of youth unemployment, which affects one in five.
The report also identifies a significant number of young people (almost 25%) in poverty or social exclusion.
On the other hand, Gonçalo Saraiva Matias mentions the issue of housing as an explanatory factor and recalls a study released on Thursday by FFMS, which confirms the rise in house prices.
“In the last decade, there has been a very large increase in housing prices and a decrease in supply. Faced with a scenario of precarious jobs, poorly paid jobs, and a very large increase in housing prices, it is clear that the number of young people living with their parents is increasing and the ability of young people to leave home early is decreasing”, he explained.
These indicators contrast, however, with the growing levels of qualification, above the European average. The overwhelming majority of young people aged between 20 and 24 have at least secondary education and 30% have completed higher education.
“According to the assessment of digital skills, based on a set of activities carried out on different electronic devices, Portugal was in 5th place among the countries of the European Union in which young people, between 16 and 24 years old, , have basic or above-basic digital skills,” the report adds.
Even so, Gonçalo Saraiva Matias does not consider that the improvement in the qualifications of young people and the increasing difficulty in being independent represent contradictory scenarios and understands that they explain the reason for the emigration of many young people.
“The country offered young people training opportunities that they took advantage of, but then it doesn't offer them opportunities in the job market and that's why they leave”, he maintained.
Reversing this trend would imply, for example, “creating conditions for young people to have good jobs and good wages in Portugal” and public housing policies aimed mainly at young people, defended the chairman of the FFMS Board of Directors.
As for other indicators, Pordata's portrait points to improvements in the health habits of young people in Portugal, with a decrease in the percentage of young people who say they never practice sport (one in every 3) or who smoke daily (9%).
With regard to religion, seven out of 10 young people say they are Catholic, while about 22% say they have no religion.
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