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Young Brazilians Show Little Interest in Engineering, While Companies Face Professional Shortages and High Deficits in the Field, Revealing a Structural Challenge in Academic Training and the Future of the Productive Sector.
The interest of young Brazilians in Engineering has shrunk and is already putting pressure on the supply of professionals.
A survey with 1,150 high school students indicates that only 12% wish to enroll in courses in the area, even with the strategic role of engineers in infrastructure, energy, technology, and industry.
The survey, commissioned by the Centro de Integração Empresa-Escola (CIEE) from the Instituto Locomotiva, was conducted between June and July of this year and has a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.
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Meanwhile, the CNI estimates a deficit of 75,000 engineers in the country.
Decrease in Enrollment in Engineering Courses
The reduction in interest is not an isolated episode. Between 2014 and 2023, Brazil recorded a 23% drop in the number of freshmen in engineering courses, according to data from the Ministry of Education (MEC) compiled in a report by Estadão.
This trend limits the pace of workforce replenishment in sectors that rely on specific technical skills.
In practice, companies report difficulties in filling vacancies, which delays projects and increases the cost of specialized hiring.
Reasons That Dissuade Students From Engineering
The high cost of courses is strongly present in the imagination of young people. Eighty-two percent of respondents consider the degree in Engineering “very expensive.”
In addition to the cost, interest in other areas weighs heavily: half of the participants stated a preference for subjects in Human Sciences such as Arts, History, Sociology, Geography, and Philosophy.
The remainder is divided between Exact Sciences and Biological Sciences. Another sensitive point is the schooling background.
For 79% of students, flaws in basic education discourage the start or continuation of higher education, especially in subjects that require Mathematics.
Indices from the Saeb show insufficient performance in the subject across all states.
The picture worsens with age: at 10 years old, only 37% can perform simple operations.
At 14, only 15% reach an adequate level to solve a first-degree equation.
In this scenario, the transition to calculus, physics, and statistics courses in college becomes an additional barrier.
Other Highlights of the Survey
Exact Sciences Lose to Humanities in Preference for Higher Education Courses
| Declared Preference | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Humanities Disciplines | 49% |
| Exact Disciplines | 28% |
The insecurity with mathematics is also decisive: the average confidence in the subject is only 5.2 out of 10.
Mathematics and Costs Dissuade Young People From Engineering
| Difficult Factor | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Cite difficulties with mathematics as the main reason for not choosing Engineering | 22% |
| Among those who intend to pursue Engineering, feel “very confident” with calculations | 16% |
| Consider Engineering courses expensive | 80% |
| Financial difficulties as the main reason for possible dropout | 23% |
Main Reasons for Disinterest in Engineering Courses
| Reason | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Interest in Other Fields | 46% |
| Difficulties with Mathematics or Other Areas Involving Calculations | 22% |
| Financial Difficulties | 8% |
Most Sought-After Areas Within Engineering
Among young people who identify with Exact Sciences, the range of choices spreads across Management and Business, Engineering, and technology careers such as Information Science, Data Analysis, and IT.
In the world of Engineering, Civil, Computer, Electrical, and Mechanical engineering concentrate the most interest.
The reasons for choosing these paths combine identification with the area, internship and job opportunities, as well as remuneration and financial stability.
However, financial difficulties, attraction to other fields, intense workloads, and the perception of little practical experience and much theory are reasons that lead some students to reconsider their choice.
Crisis of Perception and Loss of Prestige
The public perception of the profession has also come into question.
The president of the Association of Polytechnic Engineers, Dario Gramorelli, stated to Estadão that “there has been a loss of quality and essence in the profession, and the loss of professional value has reflected in public recognition.”
According to him, public sentiment has captured this change: “Today even stand-up comedians use this in a joking manner, saying that engineers have become Uber drivers.”
Although the accounts are anecdotal, experts warn that academic environments considered dismal, with excessive theory and little practical application, tend to deter applications.
The criticism does not overlook specific advancements but suggests that curricula more connected to real problems and laboratory and project experiences from the early semesters could reduce dropout rates and improve engagement.
Expansion of Distance Learning
The expansion of distance education (EAD) in Engineering courses raises another red flag among professionals and entities.
The growing offer in the remote format, when not accompanied by laboratory infrastructure, qualified tutoring, and rigorous assessment of practical skills, may accentuate doubts about the technical training of graduates.
This is not about dismissing EAD, educators point out, but about ensuring minimum quality standards, especially in subjects that require experiments, prototyping, and testing.
Structural Bottleneck in Mathematics
Difficulties with Mathematics appear as a key factor in the origin of the problem.
More than one third of young people report feeling insecure with content that involves numbers, which directly impacts the decision to pursue an Engineering career.
Standardized assessments, such as those from Saeb, reiterate that insufficient learning manifests early and extends throughout schooling.
Without mastery of basic operations, the leap to geometry, functions, and problem-solving becomes more distant.
This increases the cost of recovery in higher education and raises the dropout rate.
Impact on the Market and Training Policies
While the business demand for engineers remains, the stagnant supply pressures salaries and amplifies the competition for talent in niches such as renewable energy, saniutation, urban mobility, and industrial automation.
To reduce the imbalance, institutions advocate for math leveling programs, internship partnerships, and scholarships targeted at low-income students.
A closer connection between universities, technical schools, and the productive sector is seen as a way to promote early-stage practices, accelerating the acquisition of skills and giving visibility to career paths within engineering.
Engineering Loses Ground to IT Courses
Engineering remains associated with good employability in strategic segments, but faces a communication problem with high school students.
Young people interested in technology are migrating to IT courses with shorter, cheaper, and quicker entry into the job market.
Without a clear narrative about the concrete opportunities in Engineering—from project planning to industrial data management and hardware development—the career loses ground in the race for attention and resources from families.
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