Entrepreneurs warn that the recruitment of new workers due to the exodus in Cape Verde threatens the country’s productivity

The president of the business association Cabo Verde Empresas, Andrea Benolli, said that the successive recruitment of Cape Verdean workers, especially for different sectors in Portugal, “endangers the maintenance of quality levels” and productivity.

“For companies, this means replacing thousands of skilled workers who have gained experience over the years with others who are more or less prepared but inexperienced.”

” This puts at risk the maintenance of quality levels and productivity rates in the various sectors of the economy.”

“Unfortunately, there is no immediate solution to this problem,” the businessman warned in a statement issued by the Sal Island-based association.

He elaborated that the country cannot simply shift the problem of out-migration onto businesses by saying they should create conditions to retain their workers, such as wage increases.

“Businesses are also suffering from the climate crisis, the drought crisis, the pandemic crisis, the financial crisis, etc., and we cannot think of having to endure the labor crisis as well,” he added.

The official noted that “the crises are numerous” and it is impossible to continue asking for support from the business sector “after two years of pandemic and debts that still need to be paid.

The government of Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) announced last week that it is negotiating an agreement with Portugal to ensure the protection and preservation of rights under the labor contract for workers from Cabo Verde who wish to participate in the labor mobility program.

Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva made this announcement after Portuguese companies recently conducted recruitment actions in Cape Verde.

The last of these actions took place on 04 October by Auto Viação Feirense, which wanted to hire 30 drivers and finally gathered several hundred applicants from several Cape Verdean islands, who had come specially to the capital, at the door of a hotel in Praia.

In São Vicente, an ad for 100 jobs in Spain and Portugal in the hotel and construction sectors received more than 1,200 applications this month, forcing the hiring process to be suspended, among other cases that have come to light in recent weeks.

The archipelago is in a deep economic and financial crisis, as tourism demand – a sector that guarantees 25 percent of the archipelago’s gross domestic product (GDP) – has plummeted since March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2020, it experienced a historic economic recession, accounting for 14.8% of GDP, followed by a 7% growth in 2021, due to the recovery of tourism demand.

For 2022, the Cape Verdean government has lowered the growth forecast from 6% to 4% due to the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine, namely price escalation.

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