Miguel Fontes considers that the low level of unemployment “is a problem for those who have to hire, but it is a better problem” than if there were “a high level of unemployment”.
Immigration is contributing to the sustainability of Social Security, at a time when it has reached the highest balance in the last ten years, the Secretary of State for Labor, Miguel Fontes, said this Friday.
The official, who spoke together with the Minister of the Presidency, Mariana Vieira da Silva, on the sidelines of the Porto Social Forum, which began this Friday and continues on Saturday, said that there is “a participation of immigrants in our labor market very a lot larger than it was half a dozen years ago.
“We have a good problem, a low level of unemployment. It is a problem for those who have to hire, but it is a better problem than if we had a high level of unemployment, ”she highlighted.
For Miguel Fuentes, “This problem must be addressed.among other measures, attracting people who want to look at Portugal as a place where it makes sense to build their life, their professional projects”, highlighting that “Portugal is very attractive today for many people in the most diverse sectors, specifically in the most qualified” .
“And for this reason, today we are pleased to see people from the most diverse origins, obviously with a predominance of countries with which we have historical ties and that we share the same language, but in general we have an immigration that comes from all kinds of geographies and that You are helping the development of the country and contributing to the sustainability of Social Security, with your contributions”.
Social Security registered the largest budget surplus in more than a decade, reaching 4,059 million euros in 2022, an improvement of 1,711 million compared to 2021, the Public Finance Council (CFP) announced this Thursday.
For her part, Mariana Vieira da Silva stressed that “the Portuguese economy, after the pandemic and even despite the war” recovered, that is, in terms of employment and wageshighlighting that “those that were the objectives” are being met.
“We always have to keep in mind that we need a transversal strategy and then delve into specific problems, whether they are mental health, child poverty or a response to the most vulnerable,” the minister also said, consulted on social issues.
“Anytime we look at problems only in their more micro versions, we tend not to get all the answers, because for any economy to have good social protection, you also need to have a growing economy, increasing wages, because that usually translates in less pressure on social benefits”, he said.
Miguel Fontes, for his part, highlighted the effort “required by the country, raise the level of professional qualification and anticipate future needs”.
“We know that there is obsolescence of skills, jobs that are being left behind, people who are at risk of seeing their professional life interrupted, but this should not allow us to distance ourselves from what is essential, which is that no one can be left behind”, he highlighted.
“Skills can become obsolete, but people don’t. We have to mobilize everything and all the resources to retrain these people to give them new job opportunities”, she indicated.
Source: Observadora
