SP welcomes almost half of foreign workers who come to Brazil
Information from the Ministry of Labor indicate that 206,946 permits were issued over the past three years, with 94,526 to SP
São Paulo is the state that has most welcomed foreign workers over the past ten years, according to a survey conducted by Investe São Paulo based on information from the General Coordination of Immigration of the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE). The information point that only in 2013, 6,092 permits were granted in the state, which is equivalent to 40% of total issued across the country. Considering everyone who came from 2010 until the first quarter of 2013, there were a total of 94,526 permits – 46% of the 206,526 registered in Brazil.
According to the president of Investe São Paulo, Luciano Almeida, the figures are a reflection of the increasing number of foreign companies that have come to the state in recent years. By only considering the investments supported by the agency, for example, approximately 75% were held by foreign companies.
“Consider the case of Piracicaba. The settlement of Hyundai’s plant made hundreds of South Koreans to adopt the city as a home. Restaurants, international schools and many other facilities were built to serve the community of foreigners who became part of the local population,” says Almeida. “This phenomenon occurs in several cities of the state,” he adds.
Currently, São Paulo has the largest communities of Italians, Lebanese, Spanish, Japanese and Portuguese people in the world outside their countries of origin. It is also the state that has the largest volume of foreign direct investments announced, according to a survey of the FDI Markets. In 2012, 456 investments were identified, 219 of them, or 48%, for the State of São Paulo. These 219 would result in a potential investment of R$ 1.8 billion.