Artificial Intelligence Developer Hiring Trends in Lisbon, Portugal

This report was last updated on Aug 17, 2025

Bence Gedai

Founder

I analyze live hiring data and tech job trends across Europe to give CTOs and Product Leaders a strategic edge. By tracking tens of thousands of open roles each week, I uncover which skills, roles, and locations are in highest demand — potential competitors, typical time to hire, talent pool sizes, and more to help you prioritize hiring, benchmark and stay competitive in a fast-moving market.

Key learnings from this report

The Artificial Intelligence Engineers job market trends in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon, reveal a challenging yet dynamic environment for hiring managers and CTOs.
With a total talent pool of Artificial Intelligence Engineers in Lisbon, the market is currently navigating a significant number of job openings, which peaked at 39 openings before experiencing fluctuations, including 44 roles closed in a single week.
The seniority distribution indicates a strong demand for Mid-Senior level positions, comprising 66% of openings, which highlights the need for companies to focus their recruitment strategies on attracting experienced professionals.
Key hiring technologies in the sector prioritize Python and Machine Learning, reflecting current trends in the Artificial Intelligence job market in Portugal Lisbon and underlining the skills sought by employers.
Lisbon accounts for 92% of job openings for Artificial Intelligence Engineers in Portugal, emphasizing its status as the leading city for recruitment in this sector, which poses both opportunities and challenges for hiring managers.

Number of roles opened and closed for Artificial Intelligence Engineers in Lisbon in the last 3 months

Over the last 12 weeks, the job market for Artificial Intelligence Engineers in Portugal Lisbon has witnessed fluctuations, with a peak of 39 new openings in week 21, followed by a notable decline to just 5 in week 24. The closures have been quite significant as well, with 44 roles closed in week 26 alone. Comparatively, the consistently higher number of positions closed compared to those opened suggests a challenging environment for talent retention. This trend not only highlights the intense competition within the AI job market in Portugal Lisbon but also indicates potential recruitment strategies that CTOs and hiring managers should adopt to attract and retain talent amid emerging trends in Europe.

Who else is hiring for ai Engineers in Portugal:

Company name	Country	Industry	Founded	# Job openings
Canonical	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2004	11
Escola Superior de Biotecnologia da Universidade Católica Portuguesa	null	null	null	9
Air Apps	United States	Information Technology & Services	2018	9
KCS iT	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2008	9
Zendesk	United States	Information Technology & Services	2007	8
Devoteam	France	Management Consulting	1995	8
PrimeIT	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2006	7
Noesis	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	1995	7
Axelera AI	Netherlands	Semiconductors	2021	6
Tripadvisor	United States	Information Technology & Services	2000	5

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Talent pool vs job openings for Artificial Intelligence Engineers in Portugal

How competitive it is to hire Artificial Intelligence Engineers in Portugal

The job market for Artificial Intelligence Engineers in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon, is characterized by a competitive landscape, with a count of job openings to talent pool ratio that indicates hiring challenges. Compared to other European countries like Germany, France, and the Netherlands, Portugal shows a relatively higher ratio of talent pool to job openings, making it more difficult for hiring managers to secure the necessary skilled professionals. This trend highlights a growing demand for Artificial Intelligence job market roles in Portugal Lisbon, yet presents challenges when strategizing recruitment for CTOs and tech leads within the region. As the future demand for Artificial Intelligence Engineers evolves, understanding these trends in hiring patterns across Europe remains essential for successful recruitment strategies.

Seniority distribution of Artificial Intelligence Engineer job openings in Lisbon

Seniority Distribution of Artificial Intelligence Engineering Jobs in Lisbon

In the growing Artificial Intelligence job market in Portugal Lisbon, the seniority distribution reveals notable trends. The Mid-Senior level positions dominate the landscape, comprising 66% of job openings. This is followed by Entry level roles at 23%, with Associate positions making up 11%. Understanding this distribution is crucial for hiring managers and CTOs, as it highlights the focus on experienced professionals in the competitive tech sector.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in Portugal

In Portugal's engineering job market, full-time positions dominate with 95% of the total employment type distribution, significantly overshadowing contract roles at 5%, while part-time and internship opportunities represent a mere 2% and 1% respectively. This data underscores the strong preference for permanent, full-time employment among candidates, providing valuable insights for hiring managers in the tech sector on recruitment strategies.

Time to Hire Distribution for Artificial Intelligence in Portugal

How long does it take to hire Artificial Intelligence Engineers

The time to hire distribution for Artificial Intelligence jobs in Portugal reveals a significant trend relevant for hiring managers in Lisbon's tech sector. Notably, the majority of positions are filled within 30 to 50 days, with 191 candidates hired within 30 days and 136 within 25 days. However, the demand extends further, as 87 positions took 15 days to fill, indicating a moderately fast-paced hiring environment. Hiring managers should consider these metrics when developing recruitment strategies for CTOs, especially in light of the increasing demand for Senior Artificial Intelligence Developers. Understanding these time frames can assist firms in effectively positioning themselves in the competitive Artificial Intelligence job market in Portugal.

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Most popular cities in Portugal to hire Artificial Intelligence Engineers

Top 5 cities in Portugal to hire Artificial Intelligence Engineers

In Portugal, the distribution of job openings for Artificial Intelligence Engineers reveals a significant concentration in Lisbon, which accounts for 92% of the total vacancies. Nearby Porto follows with 3%, while the remaining cities, including Lisboa and remote positions, collectively represent only 2%. This data underscores the capital's dominance in the Artificial Intelligence job market in Portugal, reflecting its critical role as a technology hub in Europe.

Most sought after technologies in Lisbon for Artificial Intelligence

Key technologies for Artificial Intelligence Engineers

The Artificial Intelligence job market in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon, is characterized by a significant demand for a range of key technologies. Among the most frequently utilized tools, Python leads the way with a frequency of 7,739 mentions, highlighting its prevalence in AI development. Machine Learning follows closely with 4,944 instances, underscoring its critical role in AI applications. Data Science, with a frequency of 1,439, and SQL at 2,543, further emphasize the importance of data management and analysis within AI projects. Other notable technologies include AWS, Java, and Natural Language Processing (NLP), which collectively represent the foundational skills sought by employers. This data is visually represented in the accompanying chart, providing a clear overview of technology trends in AI hiring.

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