Work Opportunities for Foreigners
Most expatriates find employment in the large urban centers in Southeastern and Southern Brazil. São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, and Porto Alegre all have a significant foreign population. Brasília also has a large foreign population, but most work for embassies and foreign missions. The majority of foreigners hired from abroad work in middle/upper management and executive positions, but Brazil is so vast and its economic activities so diverse that foreigners are found in virtually every field of activity. For example, I met an engineer deep in the Amazon who had been working there for two years building diesel generators for the town’s electric supply. Other foreigners I met worked as English teachers, executive assistants, wait staff, and other jobs. So one’s skill level, education, and experience should not deter anyone from looking for a job in Brazil. Keep in mind though that only professions on the upper end of the scale are being paid wages comparable to those in the U.S. and Europe. The engineer in the Amazon was working for a Texas-based company and his salary was paid in U.S. dollars, but if you are hired by a Brazilian company and are paid in the local currency, you will most likely have to expect a pay cut.
But despite the shortage of skilled labor in a number of fields and economic sectors, getting a work permit for Brazil is not easy, since strict labor laws require that employers always give preference to qualified local candidates where available. Even if you are approved for a work permit, there is no guarantee it will be renewed when it expires.