Austerity-hit Students Face Moving From Portugal To Find Work

SHOTLIST
1. Wide of Douro River
2. Port wine barge
3. Porto old quarter
4. Wide of Porto University, tram passing by
5. Close up of Porto University sign
6. Wide pan from books to graduate student Daniela Branco studying
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Daniela Branco, 24, Graduate student:
"Most of my friends who graduated about six months ago, they are still unemployed. They are intensely looking for a first job, but they all tell me it is very difficult because the answer is always the same, they lack experience and they don't get enough academic recognition, so at the moment we are all in the same boat."
8. Close up of Branco reflected in glass
9. Wide of Manuel Loff, professor of contemporary history and political science:
10. Close up of Professor Loff talking with colleague
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Manuel Loff, Professor of contemporary history:
"We can talk about a brain drain already for some years, probably for quite some time, 20 years or something. It is more noticeable these years, because of the fact that this is the tenth year in Portuguese economy, of recession so it's particularly hard for young educated people to find qualified jobs in the country."
12. Wide of Porto University library
13. Close up students studying in library
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Manuel Loff, Professor of contemporary history:
"We are offering the young people jobs in the tourism sector. The Portuguese economy is now becoming typically a service economy requiring working people with almost no specific qualifications. It's like, you know, the economy of the smile and sun."
15. Wide of unemployed designer Teresa Valle taking dog Sprout for a walk
16. Wide of Valle preparing to cross the road
17. SOUNDBITE: (Portuguese) Teresa Valle, 24, Porto, Unemployed designer:
"Seeing our colleagues being successful and managing to find jobs abroad, while that is so much harder in Portugal, obviously people end up always preferring to look for hope somewhere else and not here."
18. Wide of Valle crossing the road
STORYLINE
As European Union finance ministers met on Monday to discuss alternatives to beef up the region's rescue fund, Portuguese students were facing the looming dilemma of having to up sticks and move to other European countries to find work.
At Porto University, graduates and professors are aware that finding work in Portugal during a prolonged recession is hard "work".
International Studies graduate Daniela Branco is making plans to move to the UK town of Bristol to work a low paid internship.
"Most of my friends who graduated six months ago are still looking for work," she says.
Debt-stressed Portugal is scrambling to avoid a bailout like the ones provided last year to fellow eurozone countries Greece and Ireland, and the government introduced additional debt-reduction measures on 1 January.
The Bank of Portugal predicts the extra pay cuts and tax hikes will bring a recession in 2011 for the second time in three years.
Contemporary history Professor Manuel Loff says it is becoming particularly hard for young educated people to find qualified jobs in the current climate leaving them no option but to take placements in the tourism sector.
"The Portuguese economy is now becoming typically a service economy requiring working people with almost no specific qualifications. It's like, you know, the economy of the smile and sun," Loff says, adding that a lot of qualified workers are choosing to leave the country to find adequate jobs.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) some of the highest rates of emigration are among Portuguese university educated workers.
According to the study, a fifth of university educated students have left the country to find work since the 1990's.


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