A relevant number of nearshore centres are based in Porto, acting as engineering, shared services, and contact centres for global operations. Either in developing multimedia applications, programming and systems engineering, developing e-government solutions and dematerializing processes, Porto has clear advantages as a strategic location for supporting models based on "follow-the-sun" methodologies.
Porto finds itself at the core of
three continents: Europe, America, and Africa. The city benefits from a good
logistics support network based on excellent road, sea, and air infrastructure,
which puts Porto at the heart of major international routes.
The city is geographically located in a time zone with minimal deviation to CET, together with other countries such as the United Kingdom and Ireland, positioning Porto even closer to European markets, and on the path to greater operational efficiency.
Portuguese is the 7th most ‘spoken’ language in the world, a factor that is especially
relevant when penetrating Portuguese-speaking markets such as Brazil. Learning English or any other foreign language in Portugal is mandatory since the
early school years. Additionally, many private schools teach their programmes
exclusively in a foreign language. These factors turn schools into excellent
recruitment nurturing spots, as well as an interesting solution for those who
arrive in the city with children.
Every year, a growing number of students from all over
the world choose the universities of Porto. Over 31,000 foreign students
attend their higher education courses in Porto's macro-region1. These are excellent assets for
international companies based in Porto.
Portuguese people and culture are well known for their ability to adapt to other cultures, absorb knowledge, and easily learn other
languages.
1 Northern Portugal plus a part of the Center Region (comprising the districts of Aveiro, Coimbra, and Viseu)
Sources: Direção-Geral de Estatísticas da Educação e Ciência.
When it comes to creating business process outsourcing units, shared services or contact centres, the qualified workforce in Porto's macro-region1 is seen as a key advantage, especially in the fields of Economics, Business, and Finance (over 6,500 graduates per year). In the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), the availability of human resources in Porto’s macro-region is particularly relevant - there are about 15,000 graduates per year.
Sources: Direção-Geral de Estatísticas da Educação e Ciência.
Porto is a highly competitive city when it comes to wages and real estate costs, compared to other major cities in Europe. Porto is also extremely flexible from the contractual point of view, as it eases the process of granting access to the use of space to the parties involved.
Porto features one of the most competitive and advanced ICT infrastructures of Europe. A 2021 survey by EY detailed that over 75% of established investors found Portugal’s telecommunication infrastructure attractive, and IMD’s 2021 ranking found that Portugal had the 11th best communications technology in the world. Porto boasts one of the largest public wi-fi networks in Europe, with hundreds of free hotspots in parks, buses, and stations around the city.
A broad range of incentives and business support measures are available for Business service centres in Porto. Use our Incentives guide tool to learn more.
You can also contact us directly to receive tailored support for your project.
