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He points to a high turnover of fixed-term contracts. From 2013 to the end of 2017, about 3 million employment contracts were signed, but only about 1 million of them still exist. Some workers, Teles says, have two work contracts in the space of a month.

Part of the reason is the nature of Portugal’s economic recovery. It is largely being powered by the tourism sector, where seasonal work is common, and the construction industry, which is frequently offering contracts valid only for the duration of specific building projects.

Another driver of change has been new technology. Working patterns are changing, with an increasing number of people freelancing, working part-time from home and holding jobs for short periods. It suits some.

In the case of employees like government worker Mendes, there’s an added twist: he isn’t a temporary worker, he’s a fake temporary worker, and the government is behind the sham.

Mendes, who holds a Masters degree, belongs to a loose national association of such workers called “precarios do estado” –literally, “precarious government workers.” They are employed by the state on temporary contracts that are renewed every six months or annually. The association is pressing the government to make good on its 2015 promise to formally classify them as the permanent workers they effectively are.

The association’s website includes numerous stories from those in similar circumstances to Mendes. “Why can’t I set out the course of my and my family’s life for the next 3, 4, 5 or 10 years?” complains one of them, 37-year-old school teacher Antonio Fachada.

The issue has become a key battleground for trade unions, but Mendes says he doesn’t feel resentful. He sees the government as a victim of the financial crisis, too, because the bailout lenders wouldn’t let it hire permanent staff.

With the economy surging, Mendes is hopeful his limbo will come to an end soon, though he’s learned to roll with the punches.

“I’ve stopped worrying about my future,” he says with a laugh. “I can’t, because I’d end up having no life.”

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Colleen Barry in Milan and Ciaran Giles in Madrid contributed to this story.