Portugal: High and rising emigration in a context of high, but decreasing, unemployment

Emigration from Portugal is at its highest since 1973 due to high unemployment, job insecurity and deteriorating working conditions. Recent data indicate that an increasing proportion of emigrants are highly qualified, stoking concerns of a 'brain drain'. Meanwhile, official statistics show a drop in unemployment in 2015, but various organisations dispute the figures, arguing that certain population groups are wrongly excluded from unemployment statistics.

Author: Paula Carrilho and Heloísa Perista. CESIS - Centro de Estudos para a Intervenção Social