The European Commissioner defends that “there are no figures indicating” that immigration is increasing unemployment.

European Commissioner Nicolas Schmitt said on Thursday there was no evidence that immigration is causing unemployment to rise, citing labor shortages in certain sectors.

“Maybe immigration has led to higher unemployment in the EU? I don’t think so, there are no numbers indicating that. What we have now in Europe, including in many sectors in Portugal, is the problem of labor shortages. work in areas where people no longer want to work,” said the person responsible for employment and social rights in response to Chega MP Bruno Nunez.

Schmitt spoke before the European Affairs Commission in the Assembly of the Republic, where he stressed that there was “a desperation to find workers for certain sectors”.

In this sense, he looks well at legal immigration policy.

“Having a legal immigration policy, making it possible for people from third countries to work, I think this is the only way to compensate for our lack of labor in these sectors,” he argued.

Schmit put on his metaphorical “Luxembourg hat” and referred to an occasion in his own country.

“In Luxembourg, we have the Portuguese coming back to their country and we don’t like it because we also don’t have enough manpower and it’s harder for Luxembourg to attract the Portuguese,” he said.

The commissioner insisted on the importance of decent jobs, “increasingly important” for society and youth.

“We’ve been through the pandemic and we’ve seen that the value of work is fundamental, but it’s not just a job: it’s quality jobs, quality and decent work. Working conditions are fundamental to the world of work,” he said, warning: “If we don’t put in place the right structure, it will end up not with decent work, but with precarious work.”

In addition, he mentioned that good jobs are needed to fight poverty.

“Poverty is being fought through good jobs, investment in skills and higher wages,” he said.

In the scenario for the housing crisis, Nicolas Schmit criticized that it was “more interesting” to put an apartment on temporary housing records than on rent to families, asking for legislation.

“There are other things that make renting an apartment on Airbnb more interesting than renting it to a family, and this is unacceptable. If this dominates the housing market, there must be legislation,” the Luxembourger insisted.

At the same time, he argued that the European Commission was working with Member States to find solutions to the problem of the homeless.

“The commission cannot solve the problem of homelessness alone. There are many agents involved, but I thank the Portuguese Presidency for supporting the creation of a platform to combat homelessness. This is a problem in many Member States and Europe can, through investment, support different policies in Member States,” he stressed.