Winter has arrived in Portugal
With 10.3 million inhabitants, Portugal would have less than 10 million people without the contribution of immigrants, who already exceed 500 thousand residents, according to the 2021 Census. of its immigrants who chose it as a destination to (re)start their lives, representing about 5.2% of the total population.
The portrait of Portugal in 2021 shows a clear and worrying worsening of aging and depopulation, compared to the last Censuses. The aging index points to 182 elderly people for every 100 young people. More than 23% of the Portuguese population was elderly in 2021, while young people up to 14 years old were just over 12%. These numbers have, as they could not fail to be, translated into the index of rejuvenation of the active population: for every 100 people who leave the labor market, only 76 enter.
The seriousness of these data and their impact in the short, medium and long term contrast with a complete absence of any surprise or reaction, especially on the part of those who govern. The removal of obstacles to the desired birth rate continues to prevent thousands of young couples from going against this cycle of decline that is getting worse year after year. Only very recently, the proposal to extend the measure of free daycare centers to all children, regardless of the legal nature of the institution, was rejected, which – if approved – would greatly help to face the high costs of attending these establishments.
However, alongside the absence of effective support for births, there is still a lack of a national strategy for attracting, welcoming and integrating immigrants. Aging and population loss imply, among other consequences, a brutal impact on the labor market. There are already serious problems in recruiting labor for various sectors and economic activities. And it is important that the shocking reports of violations of the human rights of immigrants in the Alentejo are not the portrait of the way these people are – and that they are not concealed, much less normalized.
It is essential that the country knows how to take advantage of the strength, youth, talent and energy of the immigrant community, from the outset, to help us correct the serious demographic imbalances that have worsened over the years. The demographic winter has long since arrived in Portugal and we don’t have spring in sight.
*Jurist