Qualificação sem retorno? Estudo exploratório sobre a caracterização sociodemográfica e económica dos Profissionais de Exercício Físico em Portugal

Filipe Rodrigues; Vasco Bastos; José Vilaça-Alves; César Chaves Oliveira; Diogo Santos Teixeira

doi:10.6063/motricidade.44996

Qualification without return? Exploratory study on the sociodemographic and economic characterization of Exercise Professionals in Portugal

Authors

Filipe Rodrigues ESECS – Politécnico de Leiria, Leiria, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1327-8872
Vasco Bastos Faculdade Educação Física e Desporto - Universidade Lusófona, Lisboa, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9227-8522
José Vilaça-Alves Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5399-7797
César Chaves Oliveira Escola Superior de Desporto e Lazer, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Melgaço, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9342-4835
Diogo Santos Teixeira Faculdade Educação Física e Desporto - Universidade Lusófona, Lisboa, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4587-5903

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6063/motricidade.44996

Keywords:

Fitness, Exercise Professionals, Working Conditions, Personal Training

Abstract

The present exploratory study aimed to characterise the sociodemographic profile and the economic-professional reality of Exercise Professionals in Portugal. The sample consisted of 276 professionals (63.8% male; 36.2% female), with a mean age of 32.27 ± 6.64 years and a mean professional experience of 7.94 ± 5.61 years. The qualification level is distributed among Specialist Technical Course in Physical Exercise (20.3%), Bachelor's degree (42.8%), Master's degree (34.1%), and Doctoral degree (2.9%). Regarding employment status, 70.7% of the participants work as independent contractors, while 29.3% work under an employment contract. The results evidence mean hourly remuneration rates of ~€6.60/h for gym floor supervision and ~€7.44/h for physical assessment, with personal training standing at ~€24.81/h. Additionally, no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) were found in overall monthly income by academic qualification. In conclusion, the fitness sector in Portugal is characterised by a young workforce with high levels of academic education but faces significant challenges regarding contractual stability and the marked disparity in remuneration among different technical tasks.

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Published

2026-03-01

How to Cite

Rodrigues, F., Bastos, V., Vilaça-Alves, J., Chaves Oliveira, C., & Santos Teixeira, D. (2026). Qualification without return? Exploratory study on the sociodemographic and economic characterization of Exercise Professionals in Portugal. Motricidade, 22, e44996. https://doi.org/10.6063/motricidade.44996

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Issue

Vol. 22 (2026): Motricidade

Section

Original Article

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