On 28 March the second edition of Wellow™ Insights was promoted, dedicated to the topic of Migration in Portugal.
Sónia Pereira - High Commissioner for Migration (ACM), Teresa Bacelar - Councillor for Oeiras Municipal Council and Luís Castanheira Lopes - Director of the Pestana Group. In moderation of Rui Fiolhais - Vice-President of the Wellow™ Group, this edition was intended to provide a space to debate migration issues from the point of view of business and institutional actors.
For Sónia Pereira, migration is important for ageing countries, as it induces demographic vitality. As a rule, foreigners are younger, more active and have a higher birth rate. It is therefore important to ensure policies that promote the attraction, integration and valorisation of migrant communities and people in Portugal.
Teresa Bacelar drew a portrait of the migratory flows in the Oeiras Council, a territory which hosts citizens of 119 nationalities, representing about 8% of the resident population.
For the mayor "migration means diversity and this enriches communities and companies, revitalising the human and business fabric".
At the Pestana Group the subject is seen as "completely natural". For Luís Castanheira Lopes the attitude should be to "deal with difference by valuing equality". The Pestana Group is present in 15 countries on three continents, with multiple official languages. Valuing this mosaic of cultures is a strength of the Pestana Group and its position in the world.
In terms of public policies, the High Commissioner highlighted the importance of guaranteeing solutions that eliminate any form of discrimination. In this context, it is essential to strengthen regularization mechanisms that ensure security in hiring and promote access to Portuguese language learning. On the other hand, the recognition of skills, experiences and qualifications is crucial, an area where companies can play a very important role, through certification in a work context.
The role of the Professional Insertion Offices (GIP) was highlighted by all participants. Recruiting and socially integrating immigrants, combating illegal immigration, is a national goal, which can now be reinforced by the enlargement of the freedom of movement within the Portuguese speaking countries (CPLP), through the automatic procedure for Residence Permits.
The topic of housing was also on the table. In the case of the Oeiras municipality, for decades, public policies have been focused on the goal of ensuring decent housing to all citizens, namely through the construction of houses with affordable rent. The "immigrants are part of the Oeiras community", underlined Teresa Bacelar, and therefore, for certain communities there are even "specific rental programmes".
On this subject, Luís Castanheira Lopes described the support provided to Ukrainian refugees, welcomed by the Pestana Group, through accommodation, food, education, professional certification and employment solutions. Some of these people were integrated into the company's staff, developing their activity in various hotel units of the Group.
In Sónia Pereira's view, this issue is critical from the perspective of companies as employers, but also "as socially active and responsible entities". As essential factors to strengthen the response to these communities, the High Commissioner underlined the proximity monitoring and the partnerships between public and private entities
In their final messages, the participants reiterated the importance of making commitments that contribute to a "positive, supportive and inclusive social perception" of the role of immigrants in the present and future of Portuguese society.
Watch here to the second edition of Wellow™ Insights - Migration in Portugal.
Wellow™ Insights events are promoted by the Wellow™ Group, as part of its Social Responsibility Programme, with a view to discussing issues relevant to business and society.
The Wellow™ Group is a national group comprising 12 companies, 6 commercial brands 15 services and 5000 employees, operating in the areas of human resources, outsourcing, energy & telecommunications and mediation.
