The Prime Minister of Portugal, Luís Montenegro, has said that the country is in need of more workers from Brazil in order to be able to maintain its economy.
The comments of Prime Minister Montenegro came during the Brazil-Portugal Business Forum. During this meeting, he stressed that the country is currently dealing with shortages and without more workers, important projects could be compromised, Schengen.News reports.
We really need more labour capacity, more business capacity. I don’t mind admitting that.
As Publico explains, the Brazilian community in Portugal is more than 500,000 people. However, taking into account the comments made by Prime Minister Montenegro, this number could soon grow even more.
Construction Sector Having Difficulties in Filling Vacancies
While inviting more Brazilian workers to move to Portugal, Prime Minister Montenegro said that the construction industry is especially having difficulties in filling all vacancies. Other sectors also need more workers.
In addition to the above-mentioned, in his speech, Prime Minister Montenegro also acknowledges the role of foreign nationals in the country’s economic growth and at the same time said that the country will be working to attract more talent.
This is due to the efforts of many foreigners, led by Brazilians. We still have the capacity to welcome more people, more talent and, above all, more companies and more investments.
Data from the Migration Observatory show that around 85 per cent of Brazilians of working age residing in Portugal are employed.
Portuguese Companies Have Been Complaining About Lack of Workers
Numerous companies and businesses in Portugal have been complaining about the lack of workers which is causing financial losses for them.
The agriculture sector alone needs at least 20,000 foreign workers in order to be able to maintain its activities. The construction sector also needs a high number of workers, up to 90,000, without including the need for workers in the real estate sector.
As Publico notes, the preference of the Portuguese government for Brazilian workers is clear.
To make it easier for Brazilian nationals and some others to enter and remain in the country, Portugal has finalised the law for nationals of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP).
Under the new law, nationals of Brazil and those of other CPLP countries will be able to enter Portugal on a tourist visa or without a visa if they are permitted visa-free entry, and then apply for a residence permit while in Portugal.
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