With headphones clamped on, participating in a five-way video call with colleagues, Andreia Proença looks every bit the modern-day remote worker. But unlike many highly skilled graduates, the 27-year-old industrial engineer has eschewed the bright lights of the big city for village life in Portugal’s mountainous interior.
“I was living alone in a rented room in Porto when Covid hit, and it struck me that my quality of life would be infinitely better back in the countryside with my family,” explains Proença, who left Portugal’s second city two years ago. Access to nature, cheaper rent, less time in traffic and a lower carbon footprint are just some of the reasons she gives for making the move.
Proença’s decision runs in the face of a decades-long exodus of young workers from Portugal’s countryside, leaving empty villages and a stagnant rural economy in their wake. In an attempt to reverse the trend, the country’s recently re-elected Socialist party government is offering up to €4,800 ($5,280) to persuade workers to relocate to the countryside.