São Paulo – Arab immigrants helped drive Brazil’s labor market during the second quarter of this year. Ministry of Labor numbers show that 122 people born in Arab countries found jobs in the country from April to June. Nevertheless, 131 Arab workers lost their jobs, leading to a net loss of nine jobs.
All nationalities considered, net admissions of immigrants in Brazil reached 2,406 in Q2. The number is down from 3,452 in Q1.
In Q2, 35 Syrians were hired and 44 were dismissed; 26 Moroccans were hired and 18 were dismissed; and 13 Mauritanians were hired and 15 were dismissed. Moroccans were the only Arab nationality for which admissions exceeded dismissals, by eight.
Arab workers were also hired or fired in Brazil from Algeria, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan, Tunisia, Oman and Somalia. Only one UAE worker was fired, and one Omani was hired.
Early September saw the Labor Ministry report that in Q2 from Q1, the number of work permits issued for immigrants climbed from 11,160 to 16,255. The majority of those getting permits are from Venezuela. These numbers comprise all immigrants, refugees included.
Venezuelans ranked second on the list of immigrants hired in Brazil from April to June, trailing Haitians. The Ministry’s numbers are based on a quarterly report submitted by Observatório das Migrações Internacionais (Obmigra) to the National Immigration Council (CNIg). The report, in turn, is based on the General Register of Employed and Unemployed Persons (Caged).
The Ministry’s General Coordinator on Immigration (CGIg) Hugo Gallo said the numbers reflect Brazil’s current scenario regarding migration. “There was a point where we saw an inflow of Haitians, in the wake of the earthquake that shook the country. Now we are seeing a large number of Venezuelans coming in. This is reflected by the labor market,” he says. Other nationalities are not as relevant in this regard, according to him.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
