Work and live in the Portuguese countryside

The Government in Portugal has allocated 20 million euros for co-working spaces, to create shared work spaces in a bid to attract new workers to the towns and cities in the interior regions of the country.

Photo by Shridhar Gupta on Unsplash

Editorial Team

25 June 2020, 12:53

The COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal has caused citizens and residents to re-think their priorities and living habits, meaning that many are considering moving far from the big cities, in order to look for less densely populated areas in the interior regions of the country. Living in the city or in the countryside in Portugal comes with pros and cons, however, there are more and more incentives encouraging people to live and work outside the big cities. Even before the coronavirus crisis emerged in Portugal, the government had created a scheme of new benefits for those who want to move to the interior regions, and now it has decided to increase the support, allocating 20 million euros for the creation of co-working spaces throughout the country. In addition, there is also support for teleworking in these parts of the country to the value of 219 euros per person.

This measure in Portugal aims to reduce the disadvantages of teleworking and is included in the Economic and Social Stabilisation Programme (PEES). The scheme will be financed with European funds, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The installation of these co-working spaces should involve local municipalities and technological infrastructure. "The implementation of these spaces is expected to have high potential for capturing new digital nomads and millennials, among others, promoting the practice of teleworking, especially in the towns and cities in the interior regions", stated the Government in a recent publication by the the official gazette of Portugal, Diário da República.

These shared workspaces, according to the Socialist Government led by António Costa, "aim to reduce the disadvantages of teleworking, namely isolation, a frequent factor of discouragement. On the other hand, they stimulate the sharing of experiences, ideas, as well as being a stimulus factor for the local economy".