Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
6 min of reading 
0 comments 
Founder of Havan mentioned positions with salaries up to R$ 5,000, advocated hiring elderly and retirees, and linked the labor shortage to Bolsa Família during an event in Rio Grande do Sul.
Luciano Hang, founder and owner of Havan, advocated hiring elderly and retirees as an alternative to address the shortage of workers in the country and linked the problem, during a public speech, to what he called an excess of welfare programs.
The statement was made on May 30, 2026, during the opening of a store in the network in Taquara, in Vale do Paranhana, Rio Grande do Sul, where the businessman commented on hiring difficulties and cited examples of older workers.
In an interview given during the event, the businessman stated that there are positions capable of paying between R$ 3,000 and R$ 5,000 in the company and criticized people who, according to him, would prefer to live on the Bolsa Família amount.
-
After a tariff hike and Brazil considering using the Reciprocity Law against the USA, the American government proposes a 25% tariff against Brazilian products, citing PIX and piracy in a trade investigation, but surprises by sparing strategic sectors of the national economy.
-
Agro giant focuses on Brazil and announces an automated factory worth R$ 100 million to double production, after the market grew 22.8% and moved R$ 517 million; the company bets on cutting-edge technology to revolutionize the agricultural substrates sector.
-
Toyota confirms the end of an era in Brazil with the closure of a historic factory, but the new destination is still uncertain after the unit produced over 1 million Corollas in 28 years and ended operations with a billion-dollar investment in Sorocaba.
-
Does Bolsa Família create dependency? Understand how the social program works and why this question has once again divided opinions in Brazil.
“There is a labor shortage in the country today. Everyone is complaining. Bolsa Família, too much welfare. People get used to living on R$ 600, while they can work with us to earn R$ 3,000, R$ 4,000, R$ 5,000,” said Hang.
The statement brought together, in the same speech, the discussion about the shortage of professionals in different sectors and the debate about income transfer programs, a recurring theme in evaluations about the job market, family income, and formal hiring in Brazil.
Although he cited Bolsa Família as part of his criticism, Hang did not present, on the occasion, data proving a direct relationship between receiving the social benefit and the difficulty faced by companies in filling open positions.
Hiring elderly at Havan becomes part of the network’s strategy
Commenting on the network’s hiring policy, the businessman stated that Havan has expanded opportunities for older professionals, including already retired individuals, and cited cases used by the company to advocate for the retention of this group in the market.
According to Hang, employees aged 62, 72, and 77 were among the examples mentioned to show that age, in the businessman’s view, would not prevent the performance of certain functions within the company.
The hiring of this profile was presented by him as a response to the difficulty of filling positions, in a context where companies from different sectors report obstacles in finding available professionals with the considered adequate qualifications.
In Hang’s assessment, people who have left the formal market may still have the willingness, experience, and interest to return to work, as long as they find roles compatible with their routine, professional trajectory, and individual working conditions.
The entrepreneur also stated that some retirees see employment as an opportunity to reorganize their own routine, especially among people who retired earlier and still consider themselves fit to work professionally.
In his speech, Hang said that this group could find space in different Havan units across the country, without detailing specific positions, the number of open vacancies, or formal selection criteria during the statement.
The entry of older workers into the formal market usually involves routine adaptations, training, and evaluation of working conditions, especially in roles that require public service, use of technology, or operational activities.
This type of hiring also requires compliance with labor and occupational health rules, so that the opening of vacancies considers the job responsibilities, the ability to perform tasks, and the conditions offered by the company.
Labor shortage pressures Brazilian companies
The debate occurs at a time when recruitment surveys indicate a persistent difficulty for Brazilian companies to find professionals with the skills required for certain roles, especially in technical and operational areas.
The Talent Shortage Survey 2026, released by ManpowerGroup, indicates that 80% of Brazilian employers report difficulty finding professionals with the necessary skills, a percentage above the global average of 72%.
The same survey shows that the Brazilian rate has remained at a high level for several years, after reaching 80% in 2023 and 2024, reaching 81% in 2025, and returning to 80% in 2026.
This history indicates that the hiring difficulty is not limited to an isolated market fluctuation but appears in different recruitment cycles, according to the data presented by the talent shortage survey.
Industrial sector diagnostics also point to problems related to professional qualification, mainly in occupations that require technical training, practical experience, or constant updating in the face of changes in production processes.
The National Confederation of Industry reported, in material released in February 2026, that the lack of qualified professionals has worsened in the sector, even in a scenario of historically low unemployment.
For companies, this situation increases the need to invest in training, retraining, and retention of workers, as well as to review recruitment strategies for different age groups and professional profiles.
The difficulty pointed out by the surveys does not mean a total absence of candidates, but a mismatch between available vacancies, the skills required by employers, and the training or experience presented by some workers.
Technical areas, specialized operational functions, technology, customer service, sales, and management are among the segments frequently mentioned in surveys about talent shortages, the advancement of digitalization, and the competition for skilled professionals.
Bolsa Família and the job market
Hang’s criticism of Bolsa Família occurs within a recurring debate about the possible effects of income transfer programs on job seeking, a topic addressed by economists, public managers, and business representatives.
The program serves families in poverty and extreme poverty, with rules linked to family income and commitments in the areas of health and education, according to the criteria defined by the federal government.
In the public information related to the entrepreneur’s statement, there is no evidence that beneficiaries have left positions at Havan because of the program’s payment or refused job offers based on the amount received.
For this reason, the association made by Hang should be attributed to the entrepreneur’s own assessment and not treated as proven data about the behavior of Bolsa Família beneficiaries in the face of formal job opportunities.
The amount of R$ 600 mentioned by him corresponds to the minimum benefit paid by Bolsa Família since the program’s reformulation, although the final amount may vary according to the composition of each assisted family.
Families with children, teenagers, pregnant women, and other members covered by current rules may receive additional amounts provided for in the program’s design, which makes the total payment vary according to each registration.
For low-income workers, the decision to accept a formal job involves factors beyond the announced salary, such as transportation, distance, work hours, health, family care, job stability, and real conditions for staying employed.
These elements appear in labor market analyses because they can interfere with both the entry of beneficiaries into formal jobs and the continuity of these workers in positions with extensive routines or high indirect costs.
Debate involves age, qualification, and labor legislation
In addition to criticizing welfare programs, Hang also questioned rules related to the entry of young people into the job market, stating that he considers it a mistake for the country to allow work only from the age of 18.
Brazilian legislation, however, provides specific modalities of professional learning for teenagers from the age of 14, with protection rules, educational link requirements, and limits to preserve the rights of this age group.
The statement expanded the discussion on how different groups can be incorporated into the formal market without losing rights, including young people, adults in retraining, the elderly, and retirees interested in resuming professional activities.
In the case of young people, the rules aim to combine professional experience, school attendance, and protection against age-inappropriate activities, while hiring older adults requires attention to the job conditions and work environment.
For retirees and older workers, companies can leverage accumulated experience, knowledge of routines, and the ability to support teams, as long as the roles are compatible with the contracted duties and the conditions offered.
At the same time, employers need to ensure safety, continuous training, and adaptation of tools, especially in activities involving technology, intense customer service, frequent travel, or physical effort over long periods of the workday.
In the Brazilian market, the labor shortage involves factors such as insufficient qualification, changes in worker expectations, informality, population aging, competition between companies, and regional differences in the supply of professionals.
The proposal advocated by Hang fits into this hiring difficulty scenario, but addressing the problem also depends on professional training, productivity, salaries, working conditions, and public policies aimed at qualification.
Be the first to react!