The Economy and Maritime Minister said this Friday that Portugal’s labor problem is “at the center of attention” of the government, arguing that the economy cannot develop when the country is in a demographic decline.
“We need to significantly increase the active population because it is an extremely important asset for the development of the country,” António Costa Silva told reporters in Lagoa, Faro district.
On the sidelines of the opening of the 41st edition of FATACIL – Crafts, Tourism, Agriculture, Trade and Industry Fair, the official noted that Portugal is in contact with the countries of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) “to strengthen the agreement on mobility” of the citizens of these countries.
António Costa Silva said that in addition to the CPLP countries, Portugal “makes other agreements, namely with Morocco, India and Indonesia and other countries that have a surplus labor force.”
For the holder of an economic portfolio, in addition to “the big task of attracting talent, there is another problem, which is to keep these talents in Portugal, and it is necessary to provide them with conditions for self-assertion.”
“It is very important that the people we are going to attract also receive the conditions for developing their activities, for investing in training, in the matter of a career, because otherwise we will have a problem that is always cyclical, namely the lack of work,” he noted.
The official stressed that Portugal “will not be able to develop the economy when the country is in a demographic decline.”
When asked when and what are the most urgent measures of the Portuguese energy saving plan in connection with the threat of cutting off Russian gas supplies to Europe, António Costa Silva said that it is being discussed and will soon be announced by the government, but noted that “the same is very significant.”
“This is an extremely important package because energy will be in the spotlight, but as I have said many times, Portugal is on the right side of the equation because we are a country that already has a significant part of its electricity, more than 60% comes from renewable energy. ”, he noted.
The minister added that the government is “already signaling companies to change their energy matrix, i.e. install photovoltaic panels so they can get most of their energy from renewable sources.”
“This could be an important consideration for companies in terms of their electricity bills,” he added.
António Costa Silva also said that “the government is studying and structuring the support package that will be given to companies as there is not yet a fully final package, but it should be implemented as soon as possible.”
“The government is working hard on all these issues because, given the development of the economy in 2022, we must ensure that there are no very unpleasant news in 2023, especially if there is a recession in Europe,” he said. warned.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
