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Portugal has “a chronic lack of labour” that “is only compensated by foreigners”, the president of the Portuguese Farmers Confederation told Lusa, considering that the end of expressions of interest - a legal resource that allowed regularisation to anyone who arrived on a tourist visa and started working - showed how much immigrants are missing from the Portuguese economic fabric.
“In recent months, we have seen a recognition of this reality. I think that today all parties recognise that the Portuguese economy needs foreign labour, which did not happen a few months ago”, said Álvaro Mendonça e Moura.
However, “we have to create conditions in the country to welcome people with dignity” and it is also necessary to “put into operation the State bodies competent in this matter”, said the former ambassador, who highlighted the hiring of 50 employees for the General Directorate of Consular Affairs, to be placed in emigrant issuing posts.
“The process is underway, this is already moving” and “I understand that there is a space of months here” until “things start to work”, stated the leader who also asks for more “speed” from the Integration Agency, Migrations and Asylum (AIMA) in the management of pending cases.
The president of CAP praised parliament's recent decision to create “a transitional regime”, which allows the regularisation of those who were already in Portugal but did not yet meet all the requirements for the request for expression of interest.
“There were people in Portugal who were paying into social security, in some cases they were even paying taxes and then were unable to regularise their situation”, he recalls.
Tourism
With regard to the hotel and tourism sectors there are “peaks in seasonality and production”, so for now “there is still no direct effect of the expressions of interest having ended”, said Rita Siza Vieira, vice-president, of the Portuguese Hotel Association (AHP).
However, the country is experiencing a “blockade in the entry of staff”, which can cause serious damage to labour-intensive sectors that need to maintain a response to market demand.
“Around 30% of our workers are immigrants, they are working, they are fit and contextualised”, but it is necessary to “maintain the hiring flow” to meet tourist demand.
The hotel industry has “cross-cutting needs” for labour, he said, commenting on the possibility of each sector establishing hiring quotas, requested by the Chega party.
“This is a need that affects all levels of functions and qualifications”, stated the leader, who demanded that the Government create a model for identifying staff from consulates that ensures “a security regime, but with speed and transparency”, to respond to economic operators.
Construction
In construction, “the shortage of labour is the main constraint” and surveys with companies indicate the “lack of around 80 thousand professionals in the sector, to meet the needs and carry out the works already planned and programmed”, said Reis Campos, president of the Association of Construction and Public Works Industries (Aiccopn).
This lack of workers covers “all levels of qualification” and “foreign labour has become increasingly indispensable to guarantee the execution” of works, and already represents “around 23% of the workforce”.
Currently, with the end of expressions of interest, “it is only possible to hire foreign workers after the issuance of the respective visas by the consular posts in the countries of origin”, recalled Reis Campos, who lamented the “excessive bureaucracy, rigidity and slowness” of the processes.
The “effective reinforcement of consular posts, as well as the creation of channels and focal points of contact on the ground, is essential to attract immigrant workers that the sector and the country sorely lack”, he added.
The association has already proposed a "green business path" to simplify and reduce bureaucracy in obtaining a visa, with the concentration in a single unit that centralizes all the necessary services of the State, added Reis Campos, highlighting that without streamlining the processes it will be impossible carry out planned major public works, such as the new airport, the third bridge in Lisbon or the high-speed rail network.
“Aware of the increasing difficulties in recruiting workers, Aiccopn has already presented to the Government a comprehensive set of proposals designed to promote the recruitment and qualification of the human resources necessary to meet the needs of companies”, highlighted Manuel Reis Campos.
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The Portuguese Government should bring into Portugal more people from Ukraine, and East Europe, those people are desperate to move to a safer country to live in, and work.
Portugal needs workers, so Portugal could do good to these people by bringing them to work and live in Portugal. At the same time Portugal can use these people to fill out all those jobs. It'll be good for both sides.
By Tony from Other on 18 Nov 2024, 21:44
Correction,
It has a chronic lack of employers who pay well and respect the personal lives of their employees.
The type of foreigners coming into the country are only going to be used as slave labor by bad bosses.
Horrible pay, horrible long hours and horrible work-life balance and conditions, that's what awaits them...
By Ricardo from Lisbon on 18 Nov 2024, 21:46
No lack of labour. Lack of respect for the people working in the sectors. As long as 50% of Portuguese work force recieving less than 1000 euro thier is no lack of labour but a lack of decent payments.
By Henk from Lisbon on 19 Nov 2024, 10:41
Article related to stop immigration may be true to some extend but what about problem and exploitation face by current foreign worker. where their is overflow of labor and limit demand .
By ramesh from Lisbon on 19 Nov 2024, 10:49
“a chronic lack of labour” That's a good one... What did you expect when you insist on paying minimum wage?? As it stands, you can get almost the same amount for sitting on the couch watching TV collecting social security. They cry about the labor problem, and yet still continue doing the same. Dog chasing it's tail.
By paulo pereira from Algarve on 19 Nov 2024, 11:00
Portugal has more than enough foreigners and simultaneously it's seeing its native population disappear engulfed by immigrants, pensioners, and expats! Meanwhile, our nationals are leaving this unic, beautiful, rich and for them unaffordable country! The Government should protect the local industry and agriculture instead of transforming the country into a spa for rich foreigners and waiters!
By Tony Fernanades from Other on 19 Nov 2024, 12:56
Ricardo, I can certainly relate to what you say.
Being a Ukrainian speaker, I witnessed, first - hand, the way they were treated when the first wave came over, at the turn of the millenium.
I found them work, wherever possible, but I was deeply embarrassed to see how the local buisness owners treated them.
They acted as if they knew more - when in fact the reverse was often the case.
By Steve from Algarve on 19 Nov 2024, 15:43
Portugal has one of the worst salary rates, conditions, taxes, recognition, injustice and equality across all industries, not only in Europe, but Worldwide.
It's absolutely atrocious to be a national and live a fair wage lifestyle, and what is being proposed here is nothing more than complete disparity from reality and a general lack of knowledge of how regular people live, work and fail in Portugal.
By João from Lisbon on 19 Nov 2024, 19:17
We have a tourism driven restaurant in Algarve and pay our staff higher wages than most and add an *optional* 10% service charge to our bills in order to give them more stability. But some people complain about our prices (structured, along with increasing prices in product and overheads, to be able to pay them a more respectable salary than many) and complain about the service charge too. Lack of workers and high cost of living for those workers means employers need to think bigger about how to attract people back into hospitality and these jobs, but the public and customers need to try to be more open minded too. Everyone working together to keep things that bring us joy, like eating out, possible.
By Emma from Algarve on 19 Nov 2024, 22:26
We moved to Portugal six years ago. Our problem hasn't been with finding workers who will actually work. Workers who show up when they promise, who return phone calls, who don't stop a job half way, that don't keep canceling same day, leaving you sitting at home all day until they cancel.
We've lived in China, Australia, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, France, Sweden, the US and Canada. NONE of these places have the worker commitment issues Portugal has. And this is not us, our Portuguese friends gripe about the same issues.
There is a constant complaint about how much many segments of the Portuguese workforce earn, but there is so much work not done. on
We've gone to hiring UK, Ukrainian, German and other contractors and craftsmen/women, who show up, on time, do quality work and like to earn money, making lots of it. They demand more than the Portuguese, as well, and we happily pay. We'd pay Portuguese even more, if they'd come do the work. Painting, plaster, carpenter, concrete, electrical, glass. It's sadly the same.
Portugal has all sorts of labor issues, and not all are foreigner based or caused. It's truly sad. We want to use Portuguese workers, but 90% of the time it's a chase to get work done in any reasonable timeframe, meaning 1-2 days work in 3-4 weeks. Hard to gripe about work and earnings when you don't accept work offered to you at 15-50 Euros per hour or more.
Mark
By Mark Dahncke from Algarve on 20 Nov 2024, 18:55
The overwhelming majority sees what the real problem is: low wages and bosses who treat employees as their personal slaves. Why do we keep beating around the bush?
By Valter from Lisbon on 22 Nov 2024, 14:54