Jobs for foreigners in Brazil on the rise

Foreigners’ interest in working in Brazil is growing, and so are the opportunities, but what jobs are in demand for foreigners in the country? Actually, jobs for foreigners in the country are a new reality.

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The Profile of Foreigners in Brazil

A few years ago, Brazil used to attract only foreigners with executive profiles to fill high-level positions in multinational companies. However, over the years, this profile has changed. Currently, many qualified young people see Brazil as an opportunity for rapid growth and new experiences in smaller companies.

Many factors contributed to this change in profile, but one in particular was the period of crisis in European countries. The high employment rates in European countries fueled this change, especially where there are many qualified young people seeking opportunities.

How the job market for foreigners works in Brazil

Namely, jobs for foreigners in Brazil are ideally offered by a company interested in hiring them before their arrival in the country. This is necessary because the work permit application is submitted in the company’s name, and the foreigner’s stay is tied to the length of their contract. Therefore, it is ideal to find a job before moving to the country.

However, we know that this will apply more to certain types of migrants, as in the case of foreign refugees, asylum seekers, or those on humanitarian visas, their arrival in Brazil may occur before the job offer is made.

Job security is guaranteed by the Federal Constitution. Immigration Law No. 13,445 of 2017 governs the interests of foreigners. It states that:

“Art. 3. Brazilian immigration policy is governed by the following principles and guidelines:

(…)

IX – equal treatment and opportunity for migrants and their families;

X – social, labor, and productive inclusion of migrants through public policies;

XI – equal and free access for migrants to social services, programs, and benefits, public goods, education, legal assistance, employment, housing, banking services, and social security.”

Brazilian companies must have at least two-thirds of their workforce as Brazilian, according to Article 354 of the Consolidated Labor Laws (CLT). This means that only one-third of vacancies can be reserved for foreigners.

Therefore, within this framework, the Ministry of Labor requires that all hiring of foreign workers be justified. The priority will always be to hire Brazilians, therefore, any hiring of a foreigner must contain a plausible justification demonstrating the need for an agreement between the parties.

Is there a difference for MERCOSUR countries?

Yes, there is. Foreigners arriving through MERCOSUR countries have a more flexible procedure. The agreement grants:

“MERCOSUR nationals who obtain residency in another Member State are authorized to work under the same conditions as nationals of that State, and must comply with the specific regulations established by labor legislation. […] Mercosur agreements allow for the unification of contributions and payments made to Social Security by migrant workers for the purpose of obtaining social security benefits.”

Thus, the process becomes easier, as the bloc has policies that encourage this, such as the 2002 Agreement on “Residence for Nationals of MERCOSUR Member States.” This agreement guarantees family members the same civil, social, cultural, and economic rights and freedoms as citizens of the country.

Furthermore, there is also a 1997 multilateral agreement on Social Security that allows access to retirement benefits for workers who provide or have provided services in any of the member countries.

The countries participating in the agreement are: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

And what jobs for foreigners are in demand in Brazil?

Above all, there are opportunities in all employment niches, depending on the level of experience, especially for highly skilled workers. However, some positions offer more opportunities due to the shortage of these professionals in the local market and the high demand from industry.

During Brazil’s period of economic growth, Brazilian industry faced difficulties in hiring highly qualified professionals, especially in the areas of Engineering and Information Technology (IT). Therefore, it is common for Brazilian companies to seek foreign professionals for these types of positions. Currently, the professions most in demand for foreign workers are:

• Mechanical Engineers for the automotive and aerospace industries;
• Electrical Engineering for the energy and construction sectors;
• IT Developers and Programmers for researching, developing, and writing code and instructions for software, applications, and websites;
• IT Engineers and Analysts, as well as Telecommunications Engineers;
• Civil Engineering Professionals, primarily specializing in geotechnics;
• Network and Database (IT) professionals working in the design, development, and support of databases, networks, and operating systems;
• Electronics Engineers working in the design, development, and manufacturing supervision of electronic products;
• Mining and Petroleum Engineers specializing in the extraction of metals, minerals, oil, and natural gas.

As the demand for these professionals is extremely high in the Brazilian job market, the government has begun discussing the possibility of adopting specific policies to facilitate the immigration of these professionals. This would reduce bureaucracy and speed up hiring, bringing significant benefits to those involved.

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