ABSTRACT
Southern Europe, and in particular, the countries of Italy, Spain, and Greece have undergone a remarkable change of status since the middle of the 1970s. Each has changed from being a region of mass emigration to one of mass immigration. This chapter discusses the role of Portugal within the European Union's international migratory patterns and outlines the quantitative movements of immigrants into Portugal, and their spatial impacts upon national, regional and local labour markets. Population mobility has been a fundamental component of Portuguese society for hundreds of years. Because Portugal was seen as a country with few restrictions on official immigrants, illegal immigration has emerged as an important factor. The pattern of emigration from, and immigration into Portugal, continues to shape the country's demographic structure, and more importantly, the socioeconomic development process. Immigrants are a significant component of what has become Portugal's dual labour market.
