Welder Shortage in Portugal and Spain
The Structural Problem
The shortage of qualified welders is one of the most critical challenges facing the metalworking industry across the Iberian Peninsula. This is a structural problem rooted in demographics, industrial restructuring and decades of underinvestment in technical vocational training.
According to CEDEFOP (European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training), welding and metalworking professions consistently appear on the "shortage occupation" lists in both Portugal and Spain, meaning that the supply of qualified labour cannot keep pace with market demand.
Sources: CEDEFOP — Skill Shortages and Surpluses, 2023; SEPE — National Labour Market Report, 2024.
Market Data: Portugal
In Portugal, the IEFP (Institute of Employment and Vocational Training) classifies the following welding specialisations as structural shortage occupations:
- MIG/MAG welder (135) — shortage across all regions
- TIG welder (141) — especially in stainless steel and aluminium
- Boilermaker/Industrial locksmith — concentrated in Greater Porto and the Northern Coastal region
- Welding Inspector (CWI/IWI) — critical shortage, fewer than 500 active certificates in Portugal
The average time to fill a qualified welder vacancy in Portugal is 47 days — more than double the national average for other industrial occupations.
Sources: IEFP — Monthly Employment Statistics Bulletin, 2024; INE — Employment Survey, 2024.
Market Data: Spain
In Spain, the SEPE (State Public Employment Service) identifies welding as one of the industrial professions with the greatest difficulty of coverage. The Basque Country (Bilbao, Vitoria), Catalonia (Barcelona, Tarragona) and Galicia (Vigo, Pontevedra) are the regions with the highest deficits.
Spain's naval sector, concentrated in Ferrol, Cádiz and Cartagena, faces a critical shortage of certified welders for naval steel and high-strength aluminium. Navantia reported in 2024 difficulties recruiting welders with EN ISO 9606-1 certification in difficult positions (PE, PF, PG).
Sources: SEPE — National Labour Market Report, 2024; Navantia — Annual Report 2023.
Average Salaries in Welding — Portugal and Spain
The EU Pay Transparency Directive (EU) 2023/970, mandatory since June 2026, requires all companies with more than 100 employees to publish remuneration in job postings. This has brought greater visibility to real sector salaries.
Portugal (gross monthly figures, 2025/2026):
| Specialisation | Entry | Mid-level | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIG/MAG Welder | €850–€1,000 | €1,000–€1,300 | €1,300–€1,600 |
| TIG Welder (stainless/aluminium) | €1,000–€1,200 | €1,200–€1,600 | €1,600–€2,200 |
| Boilermaker/Locksmith | €900–€1,100 | €1,100–€1,400 | €1,400–€1,800 |
| Welding Inspector (IWI-S) | €1,500–€1,800 | €1,800–€2,400 | €2,400–€3,500 |
Spain (gross monthly figures, 2025/2026):
| Specialisation | Entry | Mid-level | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIG/MAG Welder | €1,100–€1,400 | €1,400–€1,700 | €1,700–€2,100 |
| TIG Welder | €1,300–€1,600 | €1,600–€2,100 | €2,100–€2,800 |
| Welding Inspector | €1,800–€2,200 | €2,200–€3,000 | €3,000–€4,500 |
Sources: Directive (EU) 2023/970; INE Spain — Wage Structure Survey, 2024; INE Portugal — Employment Survey, 2024.
Structural Causes of the Shortage
1. Ageing workforce The average age of certified welders in Portugal and Spain exceeds 45 years. The lack of generational renewal stems from the profession's poor appeal among younger generations, who associate welding with difficult conditions and low pay — a perception contradicted by current salary data, particularly in TIG and inspection specialisations.
2. Underinvestment in Vocational Training The number of places in welding courses within Portugal and Spain's vocational training systems stagnated over the past decade, while the metalworking industry grew. In Portugal, IEFP reports that only 12% of students on metalworking courses opt for welding specialisation.
3. Emigration of Qualified Professionals Portugal simultaneously trains and exports qualified welders. Professionals with EN ISO 9606-1 certification and TIG stainless or aluminium experience are actively recruited by Dutch, Belgian, German and Norwegian companies at significantly higher net salaries.
4. Growing Industrial Demand The energy transition, naval construction growth, railway infrastructure investment and structural steel projects have significantly increased demand for qualified welders across the Iberian Peninsula since 2022.
Impact of the Pay Transparency Directive
The (EU) Directive 2023/970 has practical consequences for the welding sector: greater visibility of wage differentials between competing employers, reduced time-to-hire for companies publishing competitive salaries, and upward pressure on SMEs that had previously kept wages below market rates.
Outlook 2026–2030
CEDEFOP projections for 2030 indicate that the welder deficit in the EU could reach 400,000 unfilled positions without targeted training and attraction policies. In Portugal and Spain, the sectors with the highest projected growth in welder demand are: renewable energy, naval construction, railway infrastructure and industrial maintenance.
Sources:
- CEDEFOP — European Skills and Jobs Survey, 2023
- SEPE — National Labour Market Report, 2024
- IEFP — Shortage Occupation List, 2024
- Directive (EU) 2023/970 of the European Parliament and of the Council
- INE Spain — Wage Structure Survey, 2024
- INE Portugal — Employment Survey, 2024