In late 2020, Daniel, a 32-year-old data engineer from the southeastern Brazilian state of Espírito Santo, began looking for work opportunities abroad. He and his wife initially planned to emigrate to Canada, but after a bit of research Daniel quickly realized there was a wealth of opportunities for him to work for foreign companies — without even having to leave Brazil. In March 2021, he landed a job working remotely for a San Francisco-based startup.
“We ended up deciding to stay here in Brazil, especially because with a salary in U.S. dollars, we have a very comfortable life in Brazil,” Daniel told The Brazilian Report, over Zoom.
His case illustrates an increasingly common phenomenon in Brazil’s tech sector: skilled workers are increasingly being lured by foreign companies to work for them, while remaining based in Brazil. Italo Nogueira, chair of Assespro, an association representing Brazilian tech firms, describes the process as the country “exporting our brains without them physically leaving Brazil.”
The trend is driven by a global shortage of tech talent, which has led companies in rich countries to seek skilled labor abroad. And this virtual outsourcing...
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