Flows of Portuguese emigration in the XX century and their impact on the economy

Abstract

Emigration has been a permanent feature of Portuguese life for centuries, but the flows of emigration are temporary and specific phenomena. The regions affected (where people emigrate from and to) vary, as do the demographic, social and economic impact of successive migratory waves. The attitude of the political authorities has also varied, as has the experience of the migrants themselves. The article beings with a summary of the flows observed over the course of the XX century, and an examination of the relative importance of the factors which determined the varied patterns identified. It then continues with a more detailed analysis of the attitude of the political authorities and the impact of emigration on the Portuguese economy in the 1960's. The main conclusions of this analysis is that the political authorities effectively sanctioned migratory flows under the New State and that, because of the vocational characteristics of the migrants, economic growth in the I960's was not hampered by emigrants leaving the country, given that the percentage of scientifically and technically trained staff in the working population was too low, in comparison with other European countries, to support an industrial workforce larger than that which existed.