Brazil gets 57% more foreign labor

07/02/2012 - 10h14

The number of foreign workers in Brazil grew 57% last year, reaching 1.51 million in December, according to statistics from the Ministry of Justice.

The main reason for this increase in the number of legal immigrants was the arrival of workers from neighboring countries. Since 2009, the number of legal Peruvian immigrants has tripled. That of Bolivians and Paraguayans grew more than 70%. Communities with a longtime presence in the country, like the Japanese and Europeans, have grown more slowly.

The growing influx from Latin American countries has been accompanied by a significant change in the profile of the workers who come to Brazil.

The immigrants from neighboring countries in general have poor education and few qualifications. Bolivians work in sewing shops and as domestic help; Peruvians work as street vendors and construction workers.

Portuguese and Spaniards occupy management positions or work as architects, engineers and lawyers.

According to Paulo Abrão, National Justice Secretary, the number of legal Latin Americans in the country increased for three reasons: the Brazilian economic boom, the Mercosul residence agreement, and the amnesty - the last two in 2009. The agreement authorizes citizens of Mercosul, Bolivia and Chile to enter Brazil without a visa, just registering with the Federal Police, and to ask for temporary residency.

The agreement should be extended to Peru and Ecuador - it just lacks the approval of Congress. The 2009 amnesty gave 45 thousand illegals temporary residence, and 18 thousand were able to obtain permanent residence after two years.

Despite the large increase in the presence of Latinos in Brazil, Europeans and Japanese are still the largest communities, because there were historically the largest groups of immigrants. Between the end of the 19th and the first 40 years of the 20th century, 4.4 million came in.

Today, the Portuguese are still the largest group, followed by the Japanese and Italians. Bolivians are in fourth place - but most latinos are illegal and don't get counted in the statistics.

ILLEGALS AND REFUGEES

The government figures include foreigners who are legally in the country with work permits and residency visas. NGO's and the government estimate that there are between 60 and 300 thousand illegal foreigners in Brazil - mostly Latin Americans, Chinese and Africans. In addition, there are 4477 refugees.

"I came to Brazil because I realized that this country had a future," says the Bolivian Davi Gironda, 25, who has been living in São Paulo for three years. Gironda works 14 hours a day in a textile factory, where he makes an average of R$1200 a month.

In spite of the long days, he doesn't complain. Sometimes he saves R$400 a month. He says it is not the time to return to his homeland. "The world has its eye on Brazil."

With RICARDO SCHWARZ, collaboration for Folha.

Translated by DAVE WOLIN