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The Brazilian labor market is facing a stalemate: employers are struggling to hire, but workers are turning down formal jobs for fear of losing social benefits. In a viral rant, businesswoman Marisa Granchelli exposes the workforce crisis, criticizing the attitude of generation Z and warning about the future of retirement.
In the midst of a challenging economic scenario, where unemployment hits historically low levels, a disturbing contradiction emerges in the Brazilian labor market: companies across a range of sectors face significant difficulties in hiring and retaining qualified professionals.
This reality raises questions about the factors that contribute to labor shortage, even in a country with a abundant labor force.
An emblematic example of this situation is the report by Marisa Granchelli, a businesswoman of almost 60 years old, owner of the flower shop RM Flores, in Holambra (SP).
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In a video that went viral on social media, over 130 thousand views, Marisa expresses her frustration with the difficulty of finding employees willing to work in a registered manner.
“We can’t find anyone to work”, laments the businesswoman. “Most already have some type of government assistance and do not want to be registered so as not to lose this benefit.”
Challenges with the young workforce
In addition to the shortage of candidates, Marisa highlights the difficulties in dealing with younger employees. According to her, many feel offended by constructive feedback, making the work environment challenging.
“When you hire someone younger, you can’t say anything else, because they think you’re offending them,” she says in the video.
Call for more experienced workers
Faced with this scenario, Marisa makes a appeal to older people, even retired, consider returning to the job market.
“Anyone who wants to, whether they are 60 or 70 years old, in good health, even if they are retired, can come and look for RM Flores here.”
Impact of social benefits on hiring
The businesswoman also warns about the over-reliance on government aid and suggests that this choice can bring long-term negative consequences.
“Be careful, people, whoever is deluding themselves because they receive some kind of government grant and think they are doing very well.”
“I regret to inform you that in a few years you will regret it, because you will not be able to retire.”
National overview of labor shortages
The situation faced by Marisa is not isolated. According to a survey by Brazilian Institute of Economics of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV IBRE), held in October 2024, 58,7% of Brazilian companies reported difficulties in hiring or retaining professionals.
In the construction, as published by the CPG portal, this percentage reaches 60,4%.
Most affected sectors and main challenges
The search of FGV IBER indicates that the lack of qualified professionals is more pronounced in the sectors of industry, commerce, services and civil construction.
The main difficulty pointed out by companies (64,9%) is lack of qualification, especially in technical areas and engineering.
Strategies adopted by companies
To get around these difficulties, many companies have invested in internal training (44%) and offered additional benefits (32%).
However, these measures are not always sufficient: 21,5% of companies reported the need to increase employee working hours e 17% mentioned delays in deliveries due to lack of staff.
In the construction sector, 21,1% of companies reported delays e 18% operate below capacity or refuse new contracts due to lack of manpower.
Economic and social consequences
The shortage of professionals affects the economy as a whole. The need to offer higher wages to attract talent can lead to increased operating costs, which often are passed on to consumers, contributing to the inflation.
Additionally, important projects can be postponed or cancelled due to lack of staff, negatively impacting the economic growth and infrastructure development.
For experts on the subject, the situation described by Marisa Granchelli and corroborated by national research highlights the urgent need for public policies and private initiatives focused on professional training and qualification.
Aligning workforce skills with market demands is essential to overcome current challenges and ensure sustainable economic development.
In this sense, the contradiction between the low unemployment rate and the difficulty companies have in finding qualified workers in Brazil can reveal structural challenges in the labor market.
Stories like this Marisa Granchelli highlights the need for a change in mentality regarding formal work, promoting greater professional qualification and better opportunities for the future.
Maybe if they pay better and stop exploiting, people will be interested. I worked at a company that earned 1 million a year and paid 1000 reais a month.
I think everything the article says is completely true. I am also a businesswoman and I am going through the same situation here in Rio Grande do Sul. And I agree that government social programs are directly affecting this sector. Thus reducing the workforce and creating a virtual shortage. And my personal opinion is not to take away government social benefits, but to allow the person who gives birth to a child to be able to sign a work contract without losing it, which is the main reason why people do not sign a work contract as a CLT.
Just pay a fair wage. Most jobs are without a formal contract and with a salary lower than the minimum wage... that's not possible.