SÃO PAULO — To circumvent the scenario of lack of skilled labor in Brazil, the American business consultancy Accenture is increasingly recruiting professionals in countries such as Spain and Portugal. According to the president of the company in Brazil, Roger Ingold, the appreciation of the Real has meant that wages paid here would stay in close range to the European reality, making it very attractive for those who want to escape the effects of the economic crisis in the old continent.

But this is not the only attraction that Brazil offers to foreign professionals. “Coming to Brazil is an opportunity to innovate. At a time when companies in developed countries are working to cut costs and keep their businesses, the possibility of creating new things in Brazil is very good in terms of career, ” Ingold said during a meeting with journalists yesterday in São Paulo.

According to Ingold, of 9,000 Accenture employees in Brazil, between 300 and 400 are foreigners. The executive didn’t know the pace of growth of the hiring of foreign professionals, but stated that the trend has been accelerating in the last three years and that it will remain for some time. “In the past, coming to Brazil could be considered a career setback,” he said. “Today that is no longer the case.”

In FY 2011, Accenture had a 25% increase in its revenue in Brazil. Worldwide, the growth was 15%, with a total of US$25.5 billion.

For this year, it is expected that the pace of expansion is strong, but not as strong as in 2011. “You can’t keep a rhythm like this for a long time in a company of our size,” Ingold said.

The number of new professionals hired in 2012 will be around half of what was hired in 2011. As regards hires in Brazil, Ingold said that Accenture has sought professionals outside the Rio-São Paulo regions. Personnel searches have concentrated in cities such as Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, and Recife, he said.

– Gustavo Brigatto | Valor

Source: Valor Econômico