Brasília – The number of authorisations issued for foreigners to work in Brazil rose 25.9% last year. According to figures disclosed on Thursday (9) by the Labour Ministry, 70,524 foreign professionals received visas to work in the country in 2011, as against 56,006 in 2010.
Most of the work visas were temporary, with authorisation for 90 days and two years’ stay. According to the Ministry, 66,690 foreign workers fell in the category. Permanent visas totalled 3,834.
Jobs connected to the naval sector and extraction of oil led in the preference of temporary workers. Last year, 17,738 visas were granted to work on board foreign vessels or platforms. In second place came jobs on tourist vessels operating in Brazilian waters, with 14,512 authorisations.
With 12,001 visas granted, artists and sportsmen without legal labour connections came in third place. The list includes visas for technological assistants, for 90 days (10,715); assistance, technical cooperation and technology transfer with no legal labour ties (5,540); specialist with legal labour ties (4,615) and 1,569 in other occupations.
According to the Labour Ministry, average schooling of the temporary workers also rose last year. Over half of the 66,000 authorisations granted in 2011 were for graduate professionals. The number of masters and doctors almost tripled, climbing from 584 to 1.734.
*Translated by Mark Ament
