Portugal has the 4th highest rate of emmigrated working age population in the EU27, only surpassed by Romania, Lithuania, Croatia.
Portugal had one of the single biggest brain drains in history post 2008 crisis. People have absolutely voted with their feet.
Those who stayed behind, either stayed because they benefit from the cronyism or are held back by family or lack of marketable skills.
You called this bullshit and write that many Portuguese have already left.
Both can be true, and you admit as much:
> Those who stayed behind, either stayed because they benefit from the cronyism or are held back by family or lack of marketable skills.
This is what we're talking about, it appears the author is being held back by family.
Many people have voted with their feet and left, and many haven't, both are true.
Or maybe none of those, there are plenty of people with good jobs here and no reason to leave, not all of us make minimum wage or live in Lisbon.
Or because they don't want to leave their home country and have hope things will get better.