Without immigrants, the economies of Italy and Portugal could grind to a halt, warns sociologist.

The European economy, especially the Italian and Portuguese economies, It cannot function without foreign workers.. The statement comes from sociologist Pedro Góis, from the University of Coimbra, in an interview on the podcast. The World at Your Feet, from the Portuguese newspaper Expresso.

Listen:

According to the researcher, the demographic crisis directly affects the productive capacity of countries and puts strategic sectors at risk. "The European, Italian, and Portuguese economies cannot survive without workers. If demographics fail, the solution lies in immigrants," stated Góis.

Italy is currently facing intense economic pressure caused by an aging population, a declining birth rate, and youth emigration. The impact is already visible in the labor market and the pension system, which, according to a study by the Public Accounts Observatory, is "at risk of collapse."

Although the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's anti-immigration speech And from Matteo Salvini of the Lega party, the government itself acknowledged the need to attract foreigners. In June, it announced the issuance of 500 work visas for citizens from outside the European Union between 2026 and 2028. In November, it relaxed rules for descendants of Italians in countries like Brazil.

According to Pedro Góis, this is a selective strategy that seeks to reduce internal resistance. "There is apparently this feeling that cultural affinities from the past are more easily and quickly integrated," he explained.

Currently, about 9% of the Italian population is made up of foreigners. The number has grown little in a decade: from 4,6 million in 2013 to 5,4 million in 2025. The Observatory's report indicates that the country will need to receive 10 to 13 million immigrants by 2050 to maintain its economic balance.

According to the sociologist, Portugal faced similar challenges, but managed to meet a large part of the labor market's needs by welcoming hundreds of thousands of immigrants in recent years.

"Sectors like construction, agriculture, industry, and fishing depend directly on immigrant labor. If there are no domestic workers, either labor is imported, or the sector closes. And closing them is not a viable option," he stated.

The episode was hosted by Mara Tribuna, with technical editing by João Luís Amorim. The World at Your Feet This is the weekly podcast from the International section of the Expresso newspaper.