Politicians were at odds this week over the government’s take on employment. While Pedro Mota Soares, the minister in charge of it, said that 175,000 new jobs had been created in Portugal since 2013, PS member João Galamba said the statement was “false” and that 320,000 jobs had actually been “destroyed” since the coalition government took office four years ago.
The wrangle broke out after Soares addressed a presentation of the Formação Algarve employment training programme in Portimão.
His guarantee that Portugal has created 175,000 jobs since 2013 prompted derogatory response from the Socialist Party (PS).
“The minister must be disoriented,” said Galamba, accusing Mota Soares of “inventing numbers with no credibility”.
He claimed that only 120,000 jobs have been created – 75% of which are temporary (‘emprego e inserção’) contracts.
“These numbers don’t include internships and are precarious jobs created by the State and charities. Thus there isn’t any dynamic attempt to create employment in the private sector,” he railed.
Galamba also accused the minister of trying to “hide” the government’s first two years in office as he only started counting the data from 2013.
