We should stress that these transformations put
additional pressure on the welfare provision and also affect labour market structures. In
Portugal, besides the shift towards cost-containment in domains such as social care, health
and pensions9, labour market reforms currently undertaken involve a shift from recommodification
towards the creation of equal opportunities for commodification (Streeck
2001: 26). The following section provides us with a characterization of the ongoing reconfiguration
of the Portuguese labour market.