The employability of the Portuguese Roma, or Ciganos, poses a significant challenge in contemporary Portuguese society, echoing similar issues in other European countries. A portion of this population lacks the necessary educational and professional qualifications for integration into the labor market. Employment and professional training centers can serve as institutional mediators between Ciganos and the labor market. However, there is a dearth of studies on these public services, and this article aims to fill this knowledge gap. This paper analyzes the results of an online survey applied to employment center directors and officers, seeking to unravel the motives justifying, in their perspective, the low employability of Ciganos.

Despite the results highlighting a greater emphasis on explanations of an individual nature and fewer references to structural or employer-focused factors, the contact with Cigano culture appears associated with a decrease in the importance of individual explanations and a higher weight given to structural explanations.

In Portugal, the Roma or Cigano population faces challenges in labor market integration. Despite historical marginalization and racism, Ciganos have engaged in self-employment, maintaining cultural traits such as family proximity. Portuguese Ciganos lack national ethnic minority recognition, preventing the availability of ethnic and racial statistics due to legal restrictions. The majority engage in informal, low-skilled work, reflecting European trends. Policies for Roma inclusion in Portugal prioritize training and employment, but critiques suggest a neglect of power dynamics between employers and Cigano employees. The goal is to identify barriers preventing Ciganos' formal employment access and examine how interactions with Cigano users and culture influence opinions. The hypothesis suggests that professionals with more Cigano contact have less stereotyped perceptions of this population.