Machine Learning Developer Hiring Trends in Porto, Portugal

This report was last updated on Aug 24, 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 job market for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Engineers in Portugal's Porto region has become increasingly competitive, with 15 new roles posted in the past 12 weeks against a backdrop of 30 roles closed, necessitating effective recruitment strategies.
The talent pool for Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Engineers in Portugal consists of approximately 1,000 individuals, highlighting a jobs-to-talent pool ratio of 2, indicating moderate hiring difficulty relevant for HR and recruitment professionals.
Major hiring companies in Porto include Canonical, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia da Universidade Católica Portuguesa, and Air Apps, showcasing the diverse opportunities available to candidates in this burgeoning sector.
The median time to hire for Artificial Intelligence Engineers in Portugal stands at 31 days, suggesting that hiring managers should adapt their recruitment processes to align with this timeframe, especially for Senior roles.
Porto accounts for 21% of the total job openings in Portugal, making it a significant player in the Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning job market, while Lisbon dominates with 77%, indicating potential strategic considerations for recruitment across these key cities.

Number of roles opened and closed for Machine Learning Engineers in Porto in the last 3 months

In the past 12 weeks, the job market for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Engineers in Portugal Porto has shown notable fluctuations. With a total of 15 new jobs posted across these weeks, there's a week of peak activity in week 31 with 4 job openings, reflecting a growing interest in this specialization. However, this can be juxtaposed with a significant number of a total of 30 roles closed during the same period, highlighting a competitive landscape where hiring managers must focus on effective recruitment strategies. Unlike many other regions in Europe, Portugal Porto demonstrates both a demand for skilled professionals and the challenges of retaining them, emphasizing the need for hiring strategies tailored to attract top talent in this evolving field.

Who else is hiring for ai Engineers in Portugal:

Company name	Country	Industry	Founded	# Job openings
Canonical	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2004	12
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
Revolut	United Kingdom	Financial Services	2015	7
AgileEngine	United States	Information Technology & Services	2010	7
PrimeIT	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2006	7
Noesis	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	1995	6

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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 recruitment landscape for Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Engineers in Portugal, particularly in Porto, reflects a competitive environment. With a job openings count of 500 and an available talent pool of 1,000, the jobs-to-talent pool ratio stands at 2, indicating a moderate level of hiring difficulty. Comparatively, countries like Germany, with 2,000 job openings and a talent pool of 2,500 (ratio of 1.25), and France, featuring 1,800 job openings with a talent pool of 2,000 (ratio of 1.11), exhibit a tighter talent market. In contrast, Poland's significant opportunities, 1,200 openings to a talent pool of 2,400 (ratio of 2), showcase a slightly easier environment for recruitment. Therefore, hiring talent in Portugal presents challenges that recruiters, particularly CTOs and Engineering Managers, should strategically address.

Seniority distribution of Machine Learning Engineer job openings in Porto

Seniority Distribution of Machine Learning Engineering Jobs in Porto

In the Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning job market in Portugal Porto, the seniority distribution reveals significant insights for hiring managers. The data indicates that 47% of positions are at the Mid-Senior level, while 33% are Entry level roles, and 7% are Internship opportunities. This distribution underscores the importance of tailoring recruitment strategies to attract qualified candidates across these tiers, particularly as demand for skilled Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Engineers continues to grow.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in Portugal

In the competitive landscape of engineering roles in Portugal, the majority of positions are offered on a full-time basis, comprising 94% of job opportunities. Contract roles follow, making up 5% of the employment types, while part-time positions represent a modest 1%. This distribution highlights the strong preference for full-time engagements, which is essential for hiring managers looking to attract Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Engineers in Portugal, especially in key cities like Porto.

Time to Hire Distribution for Artificial Intelligence in Portugal

How long does it take to hire Artificial Intelligence Engineers

In the context of the Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Engineers job market trends in Portugal, data indicates a notable time to hire distribution. The most common timeframe for filling positions spans from 30 to 35 days, with 174 and 114 instances respectively, highlighting a significant demand for talent within this period. Recruitment strategies for CTOs in Portugal Porto's tech sector should consider this window, as opportunities for Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Developers show heightened activity around the 30-day mark. Moreover, only 4 positions were filled within the first 0 days, indicating that immediate hiring is less frequent compared to the broader trends in the job market. Hiring managers and recruiters should thus anticipate a median time to hire that aligns with these statistics, especially when targeting Senior Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Developers in the region.

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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 the current landscape of the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning job market in Portugal, Lisbon stands out as the leading city with 77% of the total job openings, reflecting its position as the capital and a dominant tech hub. Porto follows with a significant 21% share, indicating a robust demand for talent in the region. Meanwhile, remote opportunities account for 3% of the total, offering flexibility for potential candidates. This distribution highlights the concentration of opportunities in Lisbon while emphasizing Porto's emerging role in the sector, as illustrated in the accompanying chart.

Most sought after technologies in Porto for Machine Learning

Key technologies for Machine Learning Engineers

In the rapidly evolving landscape of the Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning job market in Portugal, particularly in Porto, certain technologies stand out due to their frequency of use among employers. Python leads the pack with an impressive frequency of 5,934, followed by Machine Learning at 3,508. SQL, with 2,298 occurrences, is a critical skill for data management, while Data Science, valued at 1,346, reinforces the importance of analytical capabilities. Additionally, Java, utilized 975 times, showcases its enduring relevance in application development. These statistics, represented in the accompanying chart, illustrate the foundational technologies that hiring managers should prioritize when considering recruitment strategies for CTOs in Porto's tech sector.

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