Portugal is looking at a trend by looking to immigration as a way to counter its declining population, unlike other european countries which, look to stem the flow of migrants.
According to studies quoted by the government, Portugal needs at least 75,000 new residents every year simply to maintain a stable working population, which today numbers just 10.4 million people.
“We need more immigration and we won’t tolerate any xenophobic rhetoric,” Prime Minister Antonio Costa told activists at a party conference in May, drawing resounding applause.
In 2017, Portugal registered a positive migration balance — the difference between those leaving and those entering the country — for the first time in six years, the National Statistics Institute said.
In 2017, the Portuguese authorities issued 61,400 new residency permits, an increase of 31 percent from 2016, which reflected a six percent increase in the number of foreigners living in the country, a border police report said last week.
Portugal returned to growth, notably thanks to a boom in tourism and foreign investment in property , but business leaders have warned that it could be easily reversed by the lack of skilled labour.
Read more: Daily Nation
