Economist Nouriel Roubini, who predicted the financial crisis of 2008, believes that Portugal should continue to attract digital nomads, but the consequences, such as rising housing prices, should be combated with taxes and their distribution.
© Lusa
30/06/2026
by
Lusa
Roubini spoke on the margin at the opening ceremony of the 19th edition of the QSP Summit in Porto.
“ During the covid-19, many digital nomads came to Portugal, because it is a place that has a good quality of life, things are cheap and you can work and do business without many restrictions ", he recalled, pointing out that this brings “a lot of human capital to Portugal”.
According to the economist, “these talents will create jobs, create income, create economic opportunities, transfer technologies.”.
Roubini acknowledges, however, that there may be negative effects for local populations, such as rising housing prices, but rejects restrictions on immigration, especially of this type of workers.
“ People are concerned if rents will rise, with pressure on public resources or services, or the prices of homes. But first, homeowners are getting a positive capital gain. Young people may have difficulty buying houses, but the right policy is not to block immigrants, those who bring technology and knowledge ", highlighted.
For Roubini “it is necessary to attract them and, if there are consequences, taxes apply and redistributes [the money from these taxes] to those who are being left behind”.