Álvaro Santos Pereira, Governor of the Bank of Portugal, suggests that the country should actively attract highly qualified immigrants to address labour market needs. The report highlights that many immigrants, particularly Brazilians, struggle with the bureaucratic revalidation of their academic credentials, leading to a significant portion of highly educated professionals working outside their fields of expertise. The data shows that immigrants, with an average age of 33, are a vital part of the Portuguese workforce, contributing significantly to social security while relying less on social benefits than the native population.
Governor of the Bank of Portugal advocates for attracting immigrants with "bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees"
Wednesday, 25 March 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
Segurança Social is Portugal's public social security system, responsible for administering pensions, unemployment benefits, sickness pay, parental leave, family allowances, and other social support payments. It is funded through mandatory contributions from employers and employees.
Most services are managed online through Segurança Social Direta (SSD), where users can check contribution records, apply for benefits, submit declarations, and track payments using their NISS (Social Security Identification Number) and Citizen Card credentials.
Key interactions for residents include registering as a contributor (mandatory for all workers), claiming unemployment benefits, applying for parental leave, and accessing the minimum income scheme (Rendimento Social de Inserção). Self-employed workers (trabalhadores independentes) must also make quarterly income declarations through the platform.
