Abstract

The phenomenon of immigration into Portugal, particularly from ex-colonial possessions in Africa, is examined in relation to the migrant’s differential insertions in both the formal and informal labour markets. The article focuses upon the differences within, and between, the Cape Verdean, Guinea-Bissauan, and Mozambican communities. Investigation shows that, in general, Lusophone-African immigrants occupy the lower echelons of the occupational pyramid working mainly in the manual labouring sectors of the host economy. However, growing numbers have now established niche roles in more skilled and professional arenas, and this has allowed some members of particular national groupings to become more upwardly mobile. As a result, the formal/informal (or dual) nature of the Portuguese immigrant labour market is shown to be an important feature of the national economy, and one that is unlikely to change given the escalation of legal foreign residence and the inherent difficulties of accessing reliable data on illegal immigration.