<\/p>\n
Speaking to the media on Friday, Portugal\u2019s Minister of Labour and Social Solidarity, Ana Mendes Godinho, said that it \u2018wants to position Portugal as a country to work\u2019 and tourism is one of the sectors in which the government intends to attract workers from abroad. <\/p>\n
Mendes, who was speaking on the panel \u201cHow to attract professionals to tourism\u201d, during the VI Portuguese Tourism Summit highlighted that this \u201cwas the sector that lost the most jobs during the pandemic\u201d, citing a report by The Portugal News.com.<\/p>\n
Authorities said that 100\u00a0000 workers were lost over this period and while the sector had recovered 40\u00a0000 workers, there was still a gaping hole to fill.<\/p>\n
The Portuguese government said the aim was to establish \u201cprocedures that allow attracting regulated and integrated immigration for the development of the country, changing how the public administration relates to immigrants and guaranteeing conditions for the integration of immigrants\u201d.<\/p>\n
The entry and free movement of citizens of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) was also facilitated as their job search and residence visas would be automatically approved, Xinhua news reported.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese requests must be granted outright unless the applicant is identified in the Schengen Information System as having some legal restriction of refusal of entry and stay,\u201d the decree says.<\/p>\n