Immigration and labour market in Portugal

Abstract

This article describes the evolution and the main characteristics of the immigrant population in Portugal before and after Law 4/2001. It gives particular attention to the drastic changes that took place in the volume and in the composition of the immigrant population under the new legal framework on immigration enacted in 2001. It discusses the main determinants behind these changes. It emphasizes economic determinants, namely the organization of migratory flows for profit and the dependency on immigrant labour in sectors like construction. The linkage between the recent changes in the Portuguese economy and immigration are then addressed. The paper concludes with an assessment of the main forms of economic insertion of the immigrants in the Portuguese labour market and of its impacts on the Portuguese society.