Portugal needs 100,000 foreign workers yearly to fill labor shortages

Portugal will continue to require a significant number of foreign workers annually in order to sustain its economy, according to a recent research called Migrations and Human Rights.

Portugal will require between 50,000 and 100,000 foreign workers annually as a result of the ageing population and low birth rate, according to a study published by the General Union of Workers (UGT), reported to Daily Dazzling Dawn.

In a context of low birth rates and an ageing population, Portugal will inevitably need 50,000 to 100,000 workers regularly over time.
--Coordinator of Migrations and Human Rights Study, Jorge Malheiros

Speaking on the subject, Malheiros stated that labour migration to Portugal is expected to persist, particularly at this time when numerous industries in the nation are facing shortages, as Renascença notes.

Malheiros further emphasised that Portugal's workforce shortages are not merely transitory, but he also pointed out that the nation can avoid importing a lot of workers from overseas if there are any major advancements in automation.

Immigration is set to continue in the context of the Portuguese market. Unless there is a very significant change in terms of productivity changes due to advances in automation and robotics or the combination of robotics with artificial intelligence.

--Coordinator of Migrations and Human Rights Study, Jorge Malheiros

Portugal plans to expedite legal entry for foreign workers

Given the present shortages, the Portuguese government has made the decision to suggest measures meant to hasten foreigners' lawful entry into the nation for work-related reasons.

According to the local media, Portugal's construction sector requires an extra 80,000 workers. The administration is currently in talks with confederations to determine what steps should be taken because other sectors also require a high number of personnel.

The government met with the confederations to discuss the functioning of labour migration, within the existing legal rules, to meet the needs of the national economy.
--Ministry of the Presidency

Among the measures that the Portuguese government plans to take is to ensure that the regularisation procedures for foreign nationals wanting to enter the country for work purposes are not as strict and slow as now.

The government proposed an operating channel that does not create new legal entry points but simultaneously ensures faster procedures and more responsibility and regulation of migration flows.
--Ministry of the Presidency

However, this proposal is expected to receive different reactions as there is currently a large number of immigrants in Portugal who are waiting to receive a response to their permit applications.