From Lisbon to Luanda

ANGOLA: You may not know that the African nation of Angola has one of the world’s fastest-growing economies — it grew by more than 14 per cent in 2008. Good job prospects have attracted tens of thousands of Portuguese workers.

Following Angola’s independence from Portuguese rule in 1975 and the end of a civil war in 2002, Angola’s GDP has grown by more than ten per cent annually for the past five years. Portugal’s economy did not grow at all in 2008.

The main reasons for Angola’s economic growth include the rise in oil prices and production, accompanied by increased interest from China in Africa's resources, as well as post-war rebuilding. Infrastructure projects — roads, pipelines, office buildings — are creating a big demand for construction workers. Portugal has long exported its labourers to the rest of western Europe, and now job seekers are trying their luck in Africa.

Angola is the country that has received the most emigrants from Portugal in the past year.

Builders are not the only profession to benefit from the boom. Civil engineers, doctors, software specialists and bankers are also finding jobs. “In the last few years, Angola is the country that has received the most emigrants” from Portugal, sociology professor Rui Pena Pires at the Center for Sociology Studies and Research in Lisbon told The Wall Street Journal.

The streets are not paved with gold, however. Despite the economic boom, Angola remains one of the world's poorest nations. Unemployment is 40 per cent, and resentment is growing that the immigrants are stealing jobs from the country’s workers.