Abstract
Nowadays, people enjoy the sense of freedom by moving from one place to another, seeking personal and professional growth, and satisfaction with life. Borders have become fluid. In the global world, education and employment seem to be within easy reach. People are pursuing lifelong learning and training to adjust to a changing job environment and maximise career opportunities. However, migrating qualified individuals can face specific difficulties in their way. The present research aims to study high-skilled migration in Portugal. For this purpose, a qualitative approach, with a focus group methodology, was applied. Two focus groups were conducted with foreign-born individuals residing in Portugal. The chapter aims to add to the understanding of how highly qualified migrants make decisions on migration, and how they perceive the job market, professional development, and career growth opportunities in Portugal.
TopBackground
Portugal is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula along the Atlantic coast with a range of different landscapes and unique cultural heritage. It is known from its gastronomy, sacred sites and fado. The climate varies substantially from one region to another and is influenced by the latitude and proximity to the sea.
The Portuguese economy has been steadily recovering from the crisis and expanding since 2014. The inflation rate was 1.0% in 2018 (Pordata, 2019). The unemployment rate has been continuously decreasing since the end of 2013 and was 7.0% in 2018, which was lower than a year before by 1.9% (AICEP, 2019). The reduction of unemployment has been related to the expansion of the Portuguese economy. The service sector is currently responsible for about 75% of the GDP (Pordata, 2019) and employs 68.3% of the total workforce (Eurostat, 2019). The shift towards a service economy has a growing tendency and corresponds to what is happening in other European countries. Among other tertiary activities, tourism plays an important role in the national economy. Portugal has successfully managed to combine its rich natural resources with competencies in innovating the tourism sector. In 2017, Portugal won the award for Europe’s Leading Tourism Destination at the World Travel Awards positioning itself as a quality destination. The total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in 2017 was 17.3% and is forecast to rise up to 20.5% in 2028 (World Travel & Tourism Council, 2018).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Social Integration: A process during which a new member of a social structure assimilates its culture, organisation and values.
Lifestyle: A way of life of an individual, group or culture. Includes attitudes, behaviours, habits, moral standards, and economic factors, among others.
International Student Mobility: The spatial movement of students to receive education outside of their home country. Can be done under an interinstitutional agreement or independent.
Skill: One’s ability to use acquired knowledge to perform a specific action and produce concrete results.
Migration: The movement of people from their home geographic area to a host geographic area.
Quality of Life: A general perception of the well-being of an individual resulting from his/her evaluation of positive and negative features of life.
Migratory Balance: The difference between the number of persons who have entered and left the territory during a given time period (usually one year).
High-Skilled Migration: The movement of qualified individuals between home and host geographic area.
Motivation: A driving force creating an individual willingness to perform an action.