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.