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Portugal Social Welfare Programs
Portugal had a fairly elaborate social welfare system,
including programs that provided benefits for the elderly
and the
seriously ill or disabled. However, the benefits paid by
these
programs were still quite low in the early 1990s, and an
estimated 3 million Portuguese lived below the EC poverty
line.
The programs' benefits were financed by employee and
employer
contributions (roughly 10 and 25 percent, respectively).
Most of
the programs were the responsibility of the Ministry of
Employment and Social Security and were administered by
regional
social security centers. The Ministry of Health was
involved in
programs concerned with medical care.
As of the early 1990s, men and women could retire at
sixtyfive and sixty-two years of age, respectively, and be
eligible
for old-age pensions. Miners were eligible at fifty and
merchant
sailors at fifty-five years of age. Benefits ranged from
30 to 80
percent of recent average wages. Permanent disability and
survivor benefits were also paid. Unemployment benefits
could be
paid from ten to thirty months and amounted to 65 percent
of
earnings, with a maximum of three times the national
minimum wage
of about US$300 a month in the early 1990s.
As of 1991, maternity benefits amounted to 100 percent
of the
mother's pay for a period of three months, one month
before and
two months after the birth. Sickness benefits amounted to
65
percent of wages for up to 1,095 days; after this period,
the
benefit was converted to a permanent disability benefit.
Accidents at work were covered by private insurance
carried by
employers; payments could amount to two-thirds of basic
earnings.
Small family allowances were paid to help rear children
until
they reached the age of fifteen or the age of twenty-five
if they
were students.
Data as of January 1993
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