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With the job market booming, sectors in Brazil such as construction and industry face a shortage of qualified labor.
The Brazilian job market is experiencing a curious phenomenon: in the midst of creation of thousands of formal jobs, sectors such as construction, industry and services have difficulty finding qualified professionals.
The shortage is so great that some companies adopt team rotations and raise salaries to retain and attract qualified workers.
The problem, although common in booming economies, has resurfaced with force in Brazil, bringing challenges to maintaining productivity and competitiveness.
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CONSTRUCTION – FREE MARKET
Growth of the formal market and highlighted sectors
According to data from the General Register of Employed and Unemployed Persons (Caged) from the Ministry of Labor and Employment, Brazil registered the creation of 247.818 new formal jobs in September.
The services sector led with 128,4 thousand new jobs, followed by industry with 59,8 thousand, commerce with 44,6 thousand and civil construction with 17 thousand.
However, agriculture saw a drop of 2 jobs, reflecting the difficulties in the sector.
Despite the expansion, companies report that the lack of qualified professionals hinders the development of projects and, at times, limits business growth.
Civil construction: a sector with a history of difficulties
According to a survey by the Brazilian Institute of Economics Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV Ibre), in September of this year, 29,4% of businesspeople in the sector pointed to the lack of qualified labor as an obstacle.
This is the highest rate since the end of 2014, signaling a growing demand for professionals in an economy that, although with a moderate growth rate, still faces difficulties in essential areas.
Strategies to overcome the shortage of professionals
According to a article published by the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, to deal with the problem, companies from different sectors adopted different measures.
In the construction industry, for example, 33,1% of businesspeople increased their salaries, while 51,5% invested in training to train new professionals.
Additionally, 46% of companies implemented team rotations, moving employees between projects to cover the lack of qualified professionals.
These measures aim not only to meet demand, but also to keep workers motivated and retained in the sector.
Ana Maria Castelo, Construction Projects Coordinator at FGV Ibre, notes that the sector already faced a similar situation at the beginning of the last decade, when programs such as Minha Casa, Minha Vida and major events such as the World Cup and the Olympics boosted the demand for labor.
“Growth today is more modest, but concerns about the lack of qualified professionals persist,” says Castelo.
Industry invests in retention and training
In the industry, companies like Saint-Gobain have invested in strategies to get around the problem.
According to Gustavo Siqueira, vice president of human resources for Latin America at Saint-Gobain, the company seeks to create an attractive work environment, with a focus on developing and retaining talent.
“Our people development strategies not only fill skills gaps, but also contribute to the retention and motivation of our team,” highlights Siqueira.
Saint-Gobain offers continuous technical development paths and mentoring programs for young talent, creating an environment for professional growth.
Tatiane Cardoso de Paula, HR director at Saint-Gobain Canalização, reinforces the importance of training initiatives: “We have mentoring and technical development programs that aim to train employees, preparing them to take on new challenges.”
These measures are essential to maintain the industry's competitiveness in the face of labor shortages.
Footwear manufacturers face similar dilemmas
The lack of qualified labor also challenges consumer-oriented sectors, such as footwear.
João Marcelo Fernandes, Human Resources manager at Kidy, explains that the company needed to renew positions and make positions more attractive to retain younger employees.
In addition, Kidy offers a training program in partnership with the National Industrial Training Service (Senai), with the intention of training new apprentices and encouraging the qualification of current employees.
“The sponsorship program, with 40 new vacancies for apprentices, seeks to ensure that employees are prepared for multiple roles, contributing to the stability of production,” reports Fernandes.
Data from the Brazilian Footwear Industry Association (Abicalçados) indicate that the sector ended August with a positive balance of 12,4 thousand jobs, according to Caged.
Haroldo Ferreira, CEO of Abicalçados, points out that the sector faces difficulties similar to those observed in the construction industry.
“Today, we compete not only with other sectors, but also with digital platforms, which increases the difficulty of retention”, explains Ferreira.
Future prospects and challenges for the labor market
Despite the companies' efforts, analysts point out that the situation could get worse.
The tightening of real estate credit rules and the increase in interest rates should affect the construction market in the long term, reducing investments and, possibly, the creation of new jobs.
Still, the projection is that the market will remain buoyant in the coming months, especially in sectors that depend on domestic consumption, such as commerce and the consumer goods industry.
The shortage of skilled labor is a reflection of a growing economy, but it poses obstacles for sectors that need to constantly adapt to maintain productivity.
The search for qualified professionals is still a challenge, and solutions such as training and employee appreciation must remain in evidence to avoid an even greater bottleneck in the future.
Will Brazil be able to train qualified professionals in enough time to maintain its pace of economic growth?
Walter sewed
Who just wants to live off the government's support like the Bolsa Família, not work, just salary
With these crafty bag creations, what the hell are they going to want to do?
Bolsa Família doesn't even pay for the basic food basket, lol, it seems like you can survive on that, and not everyone can afford it.
That's where you're wrong, there are people who receive and place children at traffic lights to ask for or sell candy...
I completely agree. You see videos on the internet of people begging for someone to work, and the crooks say it's not worth it. There's still some idiot asking why work if I could lose my wife's family allowance and the pension he receives for her? It's a lot of slacking. The government itself has become a competitor of companies, paying people to stay home and scratch their balls, holding the country back and sinking it even deeper into poverty, living off the eternal welfare of love.
You're talking nonsense, man. In developed countries, most people have a college degree and don't want to take on lower-level jobs that earn less, so they reject them. Then opportunities arise for foreigners who earn much more than here in Brazil. So your statement is full of ignorance and prejudice.
If a segment is paying little, people reject it and prefer to work with something else.
Of course, they pay a pittance, everything is expensive and they don't want to value the professional.
Just pay more! With a minimum wage of 1412, who works? Pay the lowest minimum wage in Western Europe, which is more than 5 thousand reais.
Right? They want to charge everything in dollars but they want to pay our salaries in reais lol
Exactly, I am a construction technician and construction foreman. Companies do not deserve to hire older people. It is absurd in our country. Therefore, I am 58 years old.