Rui Patrício published an article in Nascer do SOL newspaper which, based on a seemingly mundane episode – attempting to clean his robe before a hearing – offers a critical reflection on labour shortages in essential roles and the dominant discourse on immigration.
Entitled ‘My beautiful laundry’, in an ironic reference to Stephen Frears' film, the text features ‘Mrs Natália’, who runs a laundry that no longer offers an express service due to a lack of staff. The episode serves as a starting point for a text in which the author questions the alleged saturation of the labour market with foreign workers, contrasting this discourse with the reality of the difficulty in recruiting professionals such as plumbers, electricians, carers or bricklayers.
In the article, Rui Patrício highlights the paradox of public policies that favour the immigration of highly qualified profiles, imagining a future where pavers recite Horace and plumbers explain Hegel or Quantum Mechanics while fixing a pipe.
Read the full article in the attachment [available only in Portuguese].
