The Portuguese Deputy Secretary of State for Labor, Adriano Rafael Moreira, announced today in Maputo that Portugal will recruit nearly 160 Mozambican workers this year to fill vacancies in the transportation, metalworking, and civil construction sectors. Speaking to journalists during a visit to the Professional Training Center for Metalworking in the Mozambican capital, the Secretary of State confirmed that three separate recruitment processes are currently underway.
One process involves recruiting 100 drivers for the transportation sector in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, which has already finalized the interview stage and is currently moving through the visa issuance phase. Additionally, 40 professionals are being selected for the metalworking sector, alongside 18 workers bound for civil construction projects.
According to the official, the 100 workers destined for the transportation sector have already been selected by their respective employment institutes and will fill vacancies in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. The 40 metalworking professionals will be employed by a company based in Aveiro; they are currently undergoing training in Mozambique, which will be followed by further skill-enhancement training upon their arrival in Portugal.
“And then we still have another group of 18 in the civil construction sector heading to the Porto district, which is currently in the pre-selection stage,” Adriano Rafael Moreira detailed. Questioned about recent amendments to Portugal’s Nationality Law and policies regarding the removal of undocumented foreigners, the Secretary of State stated that the labor relationship with Mozambican workers remains excellent.
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“The relationship at this moment is highly normalized, there is no social conflict, and we do not have a single case that causes us concern,” Adriano Rafael Moreira stated.
The official acknowledged that Portugal faces challenges in filling job vacancies across certain industries, urging Mozambicans to travel to the European nation exclusively through official channels and with the mutual awareness of authorities in both states to avoid potential complications.
The government representative assured that the Portuguese economy remains strong and growing, pointing out that Mozambique is an ideal country to fill these open positions given the shared language between the two nations.
“Mozambique is a brotherly country where Portuguese is spoken, where we share common values and cultures, making integration much easier,” Moreira reiterated, emphasizing that any employment migration to Portugal must utilize formal mechanisms established under the cooperation protocol between Lisbon and Maputo.
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“Setting off on an adventure without a plan is not advisable. Since Mozambique has a properly organized and functioning Employment Institute, and this institute has a formal protocol established with the Portuguese Employment Institute, it is the correct door to start the journey,” Adriano Rafael Moreira concluded.
While in Maputo, the Secretary of State is scheduled to hold meetings with government members and private sector representatives, according to the official itinerary.
