Lisbon, Dec. 19, 2025 (Lusa) - The productivity and average salary of workers in foreign-owned subsidiaries in Portugal were 69.6% and 44.2% higher than those working in domestic companies in 2024, according to data released by INE on Friday.
In foreign-owned subsidiaries operating in Portugal, apparent labour productivity (measured by the Gross Value Added - GVA generated by each unit of personnel in service) and the average monthly remuneration per person in service reached €57,767 and €1,854 per person in service last year, respectively, 69.6% and 44.2% higher than the corresponding figures for domestic companies.
According to Statistics Portugal (INE), this difference is "particularly significant" in micro-sized subsidiaries, where apparent labour productivity and average monthly remuneration reached €46,427 and €2,390 per person (+99.9% and +128.7% compared to national companies of the same size).
"Although classified as micro-enterprises in Portugal, these subsidiaries are part of foreign economic groups, which gives them a different business context, reflected in the higher values of these indicators," it noted.
When comparing large foreign subsidiaries and national companies of equivalent size, there is greater convergence in the values of apparent labour productivity and average monthly remuneration per person employed.
Over the period 2010-2024, foreign subsidiaries recorded an apparent labour productivity of €19,200, higher than the average for national companies, and average monthly remuneration was also higher in foreign subsidiaries, on average €427 more than in national companies.
According to INE, in 2024, there were 11,066 branches of foreign companies in Portugal, 3.4% more than in the previous year, representing 2.1% of all non-financial companies.
Foreign company subsidiaries employed around 704,000 people that year, corresponding to 18.3% of the non-financial companies' workforce overall.
On average, each branch employed 64 people in 2024, which is much higher than the average of six people in national companies.
Between 2023 and 2024, the relative weight of people employed by foreign company branches decreased by 0.2 percentage points, despite an increase of around 22,000 people in employment.
The investment rate of foreign company subsidiaries was 21.7% (-1.3 percentage points lower than in 2023), lower than that of domestic companies, which was 23.5% (+0.5 percentage points).
Last year, foreign affiliates recorded nominal turnover growth of 4.9% (+5.2% in 2023) to €162 billion, and an increase in GVA of 7.4% (+11.3% in 2023) to €41 billion, accounting for 29.3% and 27.9% of turnover and GVA, respectively, of non-financial companies in the country.
Of the total GVA generated by subsidiaries of foreign companies, large companies (694 companies) contributed 67.0% of the total GVA generated by these companies.
It should also be noted that most of the GVA (67.7%) was generated by companies controlled by entities based in the European Union, with France standing out as the leading country of origin of capital control (20.8% of GVA).
Exports by subsidiaries of foreign companies accounted for 37.2% of total national exports of goods. They decreased by 36 million euros compared to the previous year (-0.1%), interrupting the upward trend of previous years (+0.3% in 2023).
In contrast, total international trade exports grew by 2.0% in 2024, following a 1.4% decline in 2023.
In 2024, among foreign affiliates with the greatest weight in GVA, by country of origin of capital controls, Spain and France occupied one of the top three positions in most sectors.
PD/ADB // ADB.
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