ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that construction provides jobs for immigrants in both Portugal and Spain. It examines reasons for substantial cross-border differences in African employment in construction. The chapter explores whether this also takes place in Spanish construction, given the smaller numbers of Africans who find work in it. The construction industry is a large employer in both Portugal and Spain. The chapter discusses that results of the Portuguese and Spanish surveys are compared in order to reach a conclusion on contrasting patterns of African employment. It focuses on Portuguese construction. Here, two representative case studies of an old immigrant who had worked in the sector for all his employment history in Portugal and of a young construction worker are used to illustrate main trends in the sector in the Atlantic country. The chapter also examines the build-up of an African employment niche in Portugal.
