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City Faces Labor Shortage in Industry and Has Resorted to Hiring Foreigners to Meet Demand. In 2024, More than 600 Immigrants Were Hired by Local Companies, Highlighting Venezuelans and Haitians.
The city of Brusque, in Santa Catarina, has become a promising destination for foreigners seeking job opportunities and a better quality of life.
According to the website O Município, the shortage of skilled labor in the local industry has led companies to bet on hiring immigrants, filling essential positions for the functioning of the local economy.
Only last year, 678 foreigners were hired by local companies, and despite the significant number of 549 layoffs during the same period, the net result was still positive, with 129 more hires.
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Venezuelan and Haitian workers make up the largest part of this contingent.
According to data from the International Migration Observatory, in 2024, 432 Venezuelans and 163 Haitians were hired by companies in Brusque, showing a significant increase in the participation of these immigrants in the local labor market.
Other countries, such as Paraguay, Argentina, Cuba, and Uruguay, also recorded workers hired in the region, albeit in smaller numbers.
Industry Suffers from Lack of Local Workers and Attracts Immigrants
Businesswoman Rita Conti, vice president of the Federation of Business Associations of Santa Catarina (Facisc), explains that the hiring of foreigners occurs, in large part, due to the difficulty local companies have in filling positions.
Qualified Brazilian labor has sought more technical or specialized sectors, leaving a gap in essential operational roles for the industry.
Additionally, the industrial sector in Brusque is diverse and robust, with the presence of knitwear, dyeing, metalworking, trade, and wholesale, which expands opportunities for foreigners.
“They have many options. Here you have above-average infrastructure, in a very well-organized way,” Rita emphasizes.
A reflection of this scenario is the high presence of immigrants in professional qualification courses.
In the free sewing course offered by the Employers’ Union of Clothing of Brusque and Region (Sindivest) in partnership with Senai, the majority of enrollees are Venezuelans.
According to Rita, this is an indication of the foreigners’ desire to professionalize and integrate into the Brazilian labor market.
Despite the benefits of immigration for the local economy, the arrival of foreign workers also requires Brusque to invest in infrastructure to accommodate this population growth.
Rita highlights the need to increase spaces in daycare centers, affordable housing, and public health services, ensuring that the city can support the increase in population sustainably.
Stories of Those Who Found a New Life in Brusque
The search for stability and new opportunities makes many foreigners leave their countries of origin and settle in Brusque.
This is the case of Venezuelan Angel Frank Munoz Naranjo, 43 years old, who works in construction at the company Irmãos Fischer.
Angel arrived in Brazil in 2018 with his wife, who works as a seamstress. Before Brusque, he passed through Paraná and Acre, where he stayed for four years.
The lack of opportunities in the industry in the North of the country motivated him to move to Santa Catarina in 2023.
“A friend of mine who worked at Fischer referred me, so I sent my resume and here I am. I have 14 years of experience in the field and I’ve always liked doing the work. I had to leave Venezuela when the crisis began and my wife was ill. In Brazil, we found an opportunity,” Angel reports.
One of the factors that made him stay in Brusque was the safety, as in another city where he lived, he was a victim of robbery.
“It’s a peaceful city. The people here are different from those in my country, but little by little, I’ve been learning the culture.”
Another success story is that of Italian Marco Miacci, 64 years old, who arrived in Brazil in 2008. Before Brusque, he lived for five years in Saudades (SC) and also in São Roque (SP).
In the early years, he chose to learn Portuguese before looking for a job. Coming from a career as a salesperson of sports goods in Italy, he tried to start a business in Brazil but faced difficulties in adapting to the local market.
“It’s sad not to be understood when speaking. The first five years were tough. Today, thank God, I can understand and write in Portuguese,” he shares.
Destiny led him to Fischer in 2013, when he was on his way to an interview at another company and changed his mind upon passing in front of the factory.
“Twelve years have passed, and I’m still here. Besides my family, my work is all I have,” says Marco, who is now a quality inspector at the company.
He emphasizes that his arrival in Brazil represented a second life, as he sold his apartment in Italy and brought everything he owned.
“Here I discovered what is essential to be happy with little. In Italy, your neighbor doesn’t remember your name. Here, everyone is friends.
Industries That Most Hire Foreigners in Brusque
Immigrants find space in different sectors of the local labor market. According to the International Migration Observatory, the industry is the main employer of foreigners, with 409 admissions in 2024.
The multisectoral characteristic of Brusque allows, in certain periods, specific sectors to absorb immigrant labor.
In cities that depend on only one sector, such as agribusiness, this does not occur in the same way.
“If it’s a family of foreigners, the man might go to construction and the woman to a clothing factory. Here, there are possibilities for everyone,” highlights Rita Conti.
Among the most occupied positions by foreigners are:
Production of Industrial Goods and Services (400 Hires)
Construction
Textile Sector (Knitwear and Dyeing)
Metalworking
Wholesale and Retail
The businesswoman emphasizes that the hiring of foreigners does not replace local workers, but addresses a demand that is not being met.
“Many Haitians who work here speak more than four languages. We need operational professionals, people inside the factory, in wholesale. Without these workers, we would face many problems in the state,” Rita emphasizes.
For experts, the growing presence of foreign workers in Brusque shows how the city has become an important hub of opportunities for those seeking a new life.
The combination of a diverse range of industries and a labor shortage has opened doors for immigrants, who, in turn, help maintain the functioning of local businesses.
However, for this growth to be sustainable, it is essential to invest in infrastructure, housing, health, and education, ensuring that Brusque continues to be an example of welcoming and economic development.
Imagine o salário que essas empresas estão oferecendo, o brasileiro acordou e não aceita mais ser escravizados, se nem os catarinenses querem essas vagas imagine as pessoas de outros estados.
O qui essas empresas querem e , escravizar trabalhadores e pagar baratos , trabalhadores ,
Não é vdd, pois existe mão de obra brasileira, o que essas empresas querem é baratear a mão de obra, sendo q existe qualificação, no Brasil existe uma quantidade significativa de pessoas desempredas, a cima de 40 anos, q estão em busca de recolocação e reconhecimento.