Portuguese Gypsies are accused for do not want to work and not want accept proposals of job or vocational training offered by formal employment entities. To understand the complexity of this situation we studied the public measures of employment and its applicability in the case of the Gypsies registered at the Employment and Vocational Training Centre of Entre Douro and Vouga (S. João da Madeira, Aveiro, Portugal). The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between employment policies, Gypsies and employers in Portugal. The formal status of “unemployed” has only recently been attributed to Gypsies in result of formal relation with public entities responsible for management of social and employment policies with mandatory of registration in the Employment Centres for all beneficiaries of Social Income Insertion. This “status” is experienced by those Gypsies with a certain resignation in a society that apparently cannot offer them feasible proposals which are possible to accomplish. In contemporary societies, professional qualifications and the level of education are essential to define your social status. What is the value of those who cannot enter the labour market, such as the Gypsies that, in general, have low level of schooling and professional training? This study is exploratory and qualitative, using semi-directive in-depth interviews made to different subjects: i) Gypsies registered in employment centre, in three municipalities; ii) technicians of the Employment Centre and iii) some representatives of employers. The results point to the fact that Gypsies not received any proposals of jobs and the vocational training proposals were insignificants.

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Ciganos,emprego,formação profissional,desigualdades sociais