Brasília – Brazil is attracting growing numbers of foreign workers. Figures supplied by the Brazilian Ministry of Labour and Employment show that in the first half of this year alone, 26,500 foreigners obtained permits to work in the country. Most are temporary visas with validity of up to two years. There was a 19.4% increase compared with 2010, when 21,100 visas were issued to foreign workers.
Brazil is mostly receiving workers from Portugal, Spain, the United States and South American countries. The professionals come to fill in positions in sectors linked to engineering, infrastructure and technology, such as civil construction, ports, oil and gas and information technology. Foreigners also find opportunities in the field of finance, in particular those who specialize in international accountancy and are having trouble securing a placement in their countries of origin due to the economic crisis that has hit Europe and the United States.
Consulting firm Hays is active in 29 different countries and recruits executives for companies in a wide range of segments. According to a survey conducted by the consulting firm, 80.4% of the Brazilian enterprises expressed a willingness to hire. To César Rego, the manager for Hays in the city of Curitiba, the number of foreigners willing to work in the country reflects the growth of the Brazilian economy. “Here [in Brazil] they see an opportunity of professional development, of gaining responsibility and visibility within the corporations. Besides, the European Union and the United States have realized that the quality of life here has reached an acceptable level. In some jobs, especially in the field of finance, Brazilian executives are better paid now.”
According to figures from the General Migration Coordination, an organization linked to the Ministry of Labour and in charge of granting the working visas to foreigners willing to work in Brazil, the most sought cities by foreigners are São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Álvaro Torquemada, a 36 year-old Spaniard from the city of Marbella, is married to a Brazilian woman. He earned his degree in administration in 2009 and then finished a Master of Business Administration (MBA) postgraduate course at the IE Business School, in Spain. The European country is also suffering with the international economic crisis, so Torquemada decided to come to Brazil. “I realized that in Brazil I would have more professional growth opportunities than in Spain,” said he.
Torquemada got a job as a consulting manager in Sustainability for the company Eccaplan, and has been living in São Paulo for one and a half year now. According to him, the process of getting his first job here was slow. It took four months and six interviews. On the other hand, his wife, who holds a degree in advertising and marketing, got a job as soon as she arrived in Brazil. “Right now, the wages in São Paulo are higher than in Spain. Furthermore, I am in love with Brazil already, and I love to live here,” said Torquemada.
According to César Rego, these qualified professionals who come to Brazil bring practices and technologies that help develop and expand the country’s economy. And the arrial of foreign workers does not lower the Brazilians’ chances of obtaining a placement in the labour market. “This is so because in order for professionals to be brought in from abroad, the Ministry of Labour requires proof that the labour force is not available in the country,” explained the consultant.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
