BRAZIL
GEN Y AND THE
WORLD OF WORK
A report into the workplace needs,
attitudes and aspirations of Gen Y Brazil
1
GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
CONTENTS
FOREWORD3
SUMMARY OF OUR RESEARCH
4
1. GEN Y BRAZIL AND THE WORLD OF WORK
6
2. LEADERSHIP
10
3. ENTREPRENEURSHIP
14
4. ATTRACT
16
5. RETAIN
20
6. TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA AT WORK
24
ABOUT HAYS
26
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
27
2
GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
FOREWORD
With a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$2.253
trillion, Brazil is currently the world’s seventh
wealthiest economy.1 It was heralded one of the
global success stories of the first decade of the 21st
century—named by Goldman Sachs in 2001 as one of
the four countries that make up the ‘BRIC’ emerging
economies, Brazil saw double-figure growth in
GDP for much of the 2000s. A roll call of successes
followed: poverty (people living on US$2 per day)
plummeted from 21 per cent of the population in
2003 to 11 per cent in 2009; extreme poverty (people
living on US$1.25 per day) also fell from ten per
cent in 2004 to 2.2 per cent in 2009.2 In the same
period, the income growth rate of the poorest ten
per cent of the population was seven per cent per
year, while that of the richest ten per cent was 1.7
per cent,3 helping to reduce income inequality.
In common with many leading global economies, the
years since 2010 have not been so kind. GDP growth
of 7.5 per cent decelerated to 2.7 per cent in 2011 and
dropped to 0.9 per cent in 2012 before stabilising
again at around two per cent.4 However the optimism
engendered by the unprecedented success of the
previous years was not shed so easily. Brazil is currently
in the global spotlight, hosting the World Cup in 2014
and the Olympic Games in 2016. And while street
demonstrations broke out in 2013 demanding greater
public investment in health, education and transport,
the protesters’ demands were largely met by President
Dilma Rousseff.5 Meanwhile employee wages continue
to rise in both the public and private sectors.6
Our Gen Y Brazil sample are positive and keen to
develop and grow, although there are significant
structural challenges ahead of them. They are entering
the world of work comparatively late. Almost one in
five (19 per cent) are unemployed and looking for
work and 14 per cent have not started working since
completing full time education. The government’s
generous response to social unrest—cutting taxes and
increasing spending on social safety nets—has resulted
in alarming budget deficits and high inflation, exceeding
the Central Bank’s 6.5 per cent ceiling in mid-June
2013 and forcing an increase in interest rates across
the country. These problems are a far cry from the
devastating 2,100 per cent hyperinflation of the 1980s
and early 1990s,7 but the current issues are still enough
to cause jitters in the economy and harm job creation.
Where does all this leave Gen Y Brazil? Despite
these challenges, they still have higher wages,
greater job prospects, and stronger job security
than any previous generation,8 along with employee
rights backed up by seemingly ever-strengthening
employment legislation.9 As such, our survey finds
them expecting more than just a salary from their
current and future employers. They have grown up
used to seeing their country develop rapidly and play
a greater part on the global stage. This means they
have lofty ambitions for their own careers that go well
beyond just acquiring personal financial wealth.
James Cullens
Group HR Director
Hays
GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
3
SUMMARY OF OUR RESEARCH
ABOUT OUR SURVEY
GENDER SPLIT
For our seventh Hays report on the needs
and aspirations of Gen Y worldwide,
we asked young people in Brazil to tell
us how they see their future at work.
A total of 1,000 members of Gen Y
Brazil answered our survey. 22 per
cent are still in full time education, the
highest out of any country surveyed so
far. However, 40 per cent are working
full time, also well above average,
and the majority of this group say
that it is not their first full time job.
Male
49%
This research explores what young
Brazilian people look for in the world
of work, what kind of career they
aspire to, the rewards they expect
and what gives them job satisfaction.
It throws light on the kind of working
environment they seek and the
qualities they look for in their bosses.
Female
51%
AGE SPLIT
7.6% 8.3% 8.1% 7.6% 7.8%
6.7% 7.1% 7.7%
18
Finally the research reveals some
insights into the way Gen Y Brazil
relate to social media and technology.
The findings are invaluable for HR
departments and organisations seeking
to recruit, motivate and retain Gen Y
Brazil as part of their workforce.
9.4%
7.3% 7.6% 6.3% 8.5%
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
REGIONAL
REPRESENTATION
24%
8%
6%
6%
6%
5%
5%
4%
3%
3%
3%
2%
2%
2%
2%
2%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
Sã
M oP
in au
as lo
Ge
ra
Pe B is
rn ah
am ia
bu
co
Ri
o
Ce
de a
Ja rá
Ri
ne
o
Gr P iro
an ar
de an
do á
Su
Sa
l
nt
a C Pa
Ri
at rá
o
a
Gr
rin
an
a
de Go
do iás
M N
a
Di to orte
st G r
rit o
o ss
Fe o
de
Pa ral
ra
íb
Es
a
pí P
rit iau
o
í
Am San
az to
o
Al nas
ag
Ro oa
nd s
ô
Se nia
M
rg
at
M
i
o
Gr ara pe
os nh
so ão
d
To o Su
ca l
nt
in
s
10%
4 GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
YEARS IN WORK
37.8%
18.9%
15.0%
14.2%
Over 3 years
Not started
working since
completing
full time
education
9.5%
4.6%
13–24 months
0–12 months
25–36
months
Still in
full time
education
CURRENT WORKING STATUS
30.8%
22.1%
19.0%
8.5%
8.1%
7.7%
3.8%
Working full
time—not first
full time job
(35 hours per
week or more)
Student/
in full time
education
Unemployed
and looking
for work
Working full
time—in first
full time job
(35 hours per
week or more)
Other
Working
part time (up
to 35 hours
per week)
Intern
PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS
A total of 1,000 18–30-year-olds living in Brazil answered our survey. 19 per cent of respondents said they were unemployed
and looking for work, and a further eight per cent are only working part time. However, 31 per cent are working in a full time
job that is not their first, compared to a cross-country average of 21 per cent. Significantly, 15 per cent say they already have
their own business, nearly double the cross-country average. Regionally, nearly a quarter of respondents hail from São Paulo,
ten per cent from Minas Gerais and there is a fairly even split across the other regions thereafter.
GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
5
1. GEN Y BRAZIL AND
THE WORLD OF WORK
Brazil is at a crucial stage in its evolution from a
developing country to an economic powerhouse.
Rapid economic growth in the first decade of the 21st
century saw poverty almost halved.10 Then came the
global economic crisis and a steep deceleration in GDP
growth, bottoming out at 0.9 per cent in 2012. While
it recovered slightly to 2.3 per cent in 2013, analysts
predict it will drop below two per cent again in 2014.11
The years of high growth arguably are now over.
However, salaries have continued to
grow year on year, even during the global
recession of 2008, and average income
hit a record high in November 2013.
Conditions for workers, many of which
have been implemented by the incumbent
president Dilma Rousseff’s Workers’
Party, have also been improving, with
high rates of pension support, holiday
allowance and unfair dismissal payments.12
GEN Y BRAZIL’S
IDEAL BOSS:
53%
COACH/MENTOR
44%
LEADER
40%
CONFIDANT/
DISCUSS PRIVATE &
WORK MATTERS
Against this context, we have found Gen Y
Brazil to be a group with unique priorities
when it comes to work and careers. They
don’t see money as the focus—acquiring
knowledge and expertise (chosen by 58
per cent), gaining personal recognition
(43 per cent) and making a difference to
society (35 per cent) are all rated as more
important than personal wealth when
it comes to what they want most from
their work. Brazil is the only country we
have surveyed where that is the case.
A NEW RELATIONSHIP
WITH LEADERS
22%
FRIEND
19%
ADVISOR
6 GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
9%
PEER
6%
DIRECTOR/
ALLOCATOR
OF WORK
Brazil may be a traditionally patriarchal
society and an economy based on familyrun businesses, but female leadership in
the country is strong and may be having
an effect on attitudes to management.
Not only does the country have a female
president but women make up 27 per
cent of the senior managers of Brazil’s
leading companies, compared with a
29%
WOULD LIKE TO WORK
IN BRAZIL BUT WITH
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
INTERNATIONAL
WORK OPPORTUNITIES
ANY KIND OF INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
WORKING AND LIVING OVERSEAS
25%
20%
WORKING IN BRAZIL BUT ON INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS
NO KIND OF INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
14%
12%
global average of 21 per cent.13 And while
Brazilians in our survey were more likely
to describe their ideal boss as a leader
than many of their global contemporaries,
there are even more that want a coach
or mentor at 53 per cent. This is the joint
highest of all countries surveyed alongside
Canada. A strong contingent also see their
ideal boss as someone they can confide
in and discuss personal matters with.
ENTREPRENEURIAL
AMBITIONS
Gen Y Brazil are very interested in
becoming entrepreneurs, and a significant
proportion have already started their
own business. 92 per cent have, or are
interested in having their own business,
despite the fact that Brazil rates poorly
internationally in terms of the ease of
starting up a business, especially with
regard to restrictive bureaucracy. It now
ranks 123rd out of 185 countries, down
from 121st in the year before according to
The World Bank.14 As with many aspects
of Gen Y Brazil’s attitude however, this
is not seen as an insurmountable barrier
and they remain highly ambitious. Almost
twice as many as any other country
surveyed identify themselves as selfemployed, and 88 per cent are interested
in some form of international work. We
also found that almost every individual
surveyed in Brazil expressed a willingness
to study in order to further their career.
Whether in their own business or for
an employer, Gen Y Brazil show every
sign of wanting to develop continually
and take control of their own destiny.
LOOKING FOR MORE THAN
FINANCIAL REWARD
Despite the hardships their parents and
grandparents may have experienced,
money is no longer the primary motivator
for Gen Y Brazil. In terms of rewards and
benefits, our survey found that base
salary is less important to Gen Y Brazil
when choosing a job than the possibility
to work flexible hours (49 per cent
versus 42 per cent). It is followed closely
by private healthcare, the possibility
of working from home and finally the
potential to earn a bonus (which is also
significantly below the global crosscountry average). When asked to define
GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
7
1. GEN Y BRAZIL AND
THE WORLD OF WORK
REWARDS & BENEFITS
FIVE MOST ATTRACTIVE
REWARDS AND BENEFITS:
49%
42%
41%
FLEXIBLE
WORKING—
WORK FLEXIBLE
HOURS
BASE
SALARY
PRIVATE
HEALTHCARE
career success, only 33 per cent chose
creating personal wealth, placing it fourth
behind job satisfaction, work-life balance
and professional recognition. This is a
generation that want more from life and
work than just monetary compensation.
FOCUSED ON PROGRESSION
Gen Y Brazil want a fast-developing,
challenging career with the ability
to progress both personally and
professionally. And they may not be
willing to hang around for too long to
get it. Brazil has one of the highest rates
of employee turnover in the world,15
and our survey also finds that Gen Y
Brazil are more than twice as likely to
expect to have more than ten employers
in their career compared to the cross-
8
GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
40%
FLEXIBLE
WORKING—
WORK AT HOME
country average. There is a significant
brain drain effect too, with as many
as 140,000–160,000 Brazilian degree
holders leaving the country every year,16
an average of 32 per cent according to
figures from Ernst & Young.17 With the
growth in earnings seen across Brazil
in recent years, personal development
opportunities may be becoming harder
to find than fair salaries, and so are
more highly valued by Gen Y Brazil.
HARD TO TEMPT WITH
TRADITIONAL BENEFITS
Traditional employment benefits are
simply not that appealing to Gen Y
Brazil, which may well be due to an
employee-friendly legislative and social
welfare landscape. For example, only six
39%
POTENTIAL
TO EARN
BONUS
per cent of respondents said pensions
were one of the things they were most
likely to look for when choosing a job.
Importantly, Brazil is ranked number
two in the world for maintaining retirees’
incomes by one prominent American
economic think tank, perhaps making
this less of an issue for Gen Y Brazil.18
Average earners receive a pension that
reflects 97 per cent of their final salary.19
Holiday entitlement too is unlikely to turn
many heads in the Gen Y Brazil cohort,
again most likely due to legislation that
sees all employees entitled to up to 30
days’ holiday after only one full year of
work.20 However, one employment benefit
that is highly valued is private healthcare
(more popular even than amongst the
Gen Y US survey sample), perhaps
unsurprising considering government
SATISFACTION
AT WORK:
49%
48%
45%
32%
LEARNING AND
DEVELOPMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
FEELING VALUED
AND APPRECIATED
FINANCIAL
REWARD
FEELING LIKE
YOU HAVE MADE
A POSITIVE
CONTRIBUTION
health spending per person in Brazil
ranks well below the OECD average.21
SOCIALLY MOTIVATED
Gen Y Brazil seem to have a desire to
change their society. As the generation
that have already taken to the streets to
protest against corruption, poor public
services and lack of investment in health
and education,22 Gen Y Brazil are not
afraid to make their interests clear. Our
survey finds that a job that helps others
(chosen by 30 per cent) is actually
wanted more than work that rewards
with personal wealth (29 per cent)—and
making a difference to society beats
both (35 per cent). After experiencing
an under-funded education, Gen Y
Brazil also look to the world of work to
help them continue their education and
development according to our survey.
Learning and development opportunities
are more than twice as important as
having varied and interesting work to
Gen Y Brazil, and acquiring knowledge and
expertise is one of the most desired career
goals for over half of those surveyed.
TECHNOLOGICAL
EARLY ADOPTERS
Brazil may technically be classed as a
middle-income country by the World
Bank,23 but it ranks amongst the world’s
highest in terms of internet use and social
media activity. Of the country’s circa 78
million internet users, 79 per cent are on
social media platforms, and they are the
world’s second-biggest users of Twitter. 24
In 2013, Brazil had more than 65 million
Facebook users—second only to the
number in the US—while over 30 million
still use Google’s Orkut social media
site.25 Although much of the developed
world seems to be reducing the time
it spends on social media, Brazil is one
of the few places where usage is going
up. However, running in parallel to this
enthusiasm is a growing unease as to
how this translates into the workplace.
A significant percentage of our survey
(88 per cent) agreed that technology
is blurring the lines between work and
social life. They predict that social media
will be one of the most popular forms
of at-work communication in five years’
time, yet only six per cent believe social
media is a helpful tool at work right now.
GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
9
2. LEADERSHIP
Brazil’s economy is in a state of transition and leadership
styles are evolving along with it.
Historically it has been primarily agriculture-based, driven by
plantation-managed commodities such as coffee and soya
beans—and family-run businesses make up a significant part
of this. They represent an estimated 70 per cent of large
business groups and over 90 per cent of all businesses.26
the government has deemed necessary to
improve upon to be globally competitive.30
GEN Y BRAZIL’S
IDEAL BOSS:
53%
COACH/MENTOR
22%
FRIEND
44%
LEADER
19%
ADVISOR
The family remains so important to
business culture that one Anglo-Brazilian
business consultancy even advises
carrying a photograph of your family
with you in order to “demonstrate
similar values” to the locals.27
The resultant leadership norm is therefore
one of protecting family interests—tending
towards promotion from within rather
10 GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
40%
CONFIDANT/
DISCUSS PRIVATE &
WORK MATTERS
9%
PEER
6%
DIRECTOR/
ALLOCATOR
OF WORK
than identifying talent from the wider
workforce.28 This may inadvertently have
limited the leadership talent pipeline in the
country, which a study by the Levin Institute
in 2010 concluded was the primary reason
for the country missing out on international
trade opportunities.29 Language barriers as
well as the country’s vast geography may
have been further limiting factors—only five
per cent of Brazilians speak English, a factor
Other studies have analysed Brazilian
leadership too. Academics from the
University of Pennsylvania have noted a
traditional Brazilian leadership style that
includes a tendency to establish hierarchies
and centralise, coupled with a focus on
short-term results and a lack of strategic
planning.31 Further, Project GLOBE’s
2012 leadership study concluded that
Brazil’s prominent leadership style can be
described as ‘self-protective’, which they
define as status-conscious, procedural and
face-saving. Only 15 countries worldwide
identified their leadership as such, of which
seven were concentrated in Latin America.32
As Brazilian multinationals have become
increasingly successful, however, global
leadership norms are beginning to influence
and change the Brazilian management
style. There have been famous examples
of outliers bucking the trend, most
notably Ricardo Semler, the CEO of
Semco who upon replacing his father as
CEO in the early 1980s, did away with the
incumbent management hierarchy.33
Our research reveals that Gen Y Brazil
are looking for some changes too. While
they display some interest in traditional
leadership qualities—44 per cent describe
their ideal boss as a leader—our survey also
uncovers a generation with a different view
on the world of work. A majority—53 per
cent—describe their ideal boss as a coach/
mentor and a relatively high percentage of
4
MOST IMPORTANT
QUALITIES IN A
WORKPLACE LEADER:
FAIR
ABLE TO
MOTIVATE
OTHERS
HUMBLE
CONFIDENT
56%
50%
41%
29%
Carlos Jereissati presents an
interesting example of a modern
Brazilian business leader that
followed the traditional route. He
is CEO of one of Brazil’s largest
shopping empires, the Iguatemi
Group. The company is a traditional
Brazilian family business, built by
Carlos’s father Ribeiro. Jereissati
takes pride in following his father’s
‘hands-on’ style of management,
which he describes as ‘firm and
fair.’ His previous work experience
was in a different family business,
his grandfather’s wheat mill, before
joining his father’s company. He has
a fairly directive approach, believing
that tough decisions should “always
be taken by one person.” 34, 35
Gen Y Brazil want their boss to be a friend
(22 per cent compared to a global average
of 16 per cent). Furthermore, when asked to
list the most important qualities in a leader,
56 per cent revealed they favoured fairness.
Considering these dual desires of being
led and being coached/mentored by
a friendly figure, bringing the best
out of Gen Y Brazil may benefit from
a different approach to workplace
leadership than the prevailing norm.
A CULTURE OF LEARNING
AND DEVELOPMENT
Gen Y Brazil are looking for ongoing
learning and development opportunities
throughout their careers, and a leader
who encourages this culture.
Our research shows a clear hunger for
knowledge and expertise, chosen as one
of the most desired career goals by 58
per cent of respondents—nearly a third
more than our average of other countries
surveyed. And when asked about their ideal
boss, Gen Y Brazil say they want a coach
and mentor: 53 per cent chose this option
as opposed to only six per cent opting for
a director/allocator of work. Gen Y Brazil
also want to be on friendly terms too, with
22 per cent describing their ideal boss as a
friend, and 40 per cent wanting someone
they can confide in/discuss private as
well as work matters with, again higher
than most other countries surveyed.
The humble leader desired by
Gen Y Brazil is in direct contrast
to one of Brazil’s most famous oil
barons, Eike Batista. The world’s
eighth richest man in early 2012,
he saw his wealth decrease 99
per cent by 2013. His company,
OGX, had claimed it could pump
750,000 barrels of oil per day,
when in fact it was managing
no more than 15,000.36 He had
frequently boasted that he would
overtake Mexican Carlos Slim
Helú to be the world’s richest
man.37 Andreas von der Heydt of
Amazon wrote an influential blog
post about his downfall, saying:
“Batista might leave a legacy of
having been the greatest Icarus
of modern times.”38 Wyre Davies
of the BBC described his rise as
mirroring that of Brazil itself, and
it seems that his fall coincides
with a sharp decrease in the
general euphoria surrounding
Brazil’s prospects.39, 40
GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
11
2. LEADERSHIP
HUMILITY AND FAIRNESS
ARE HIGHLY PRIZED
Gen Y Brazil place a high value on a
boss who is fair and humble. Our survey
found that fairness is rated the most
important quality in a leader by 56 per
cent of Brazilian respondents, far higher
than the US at 35 per cent. This comes
above being able to motivate (50 per
cent) or being decisive (20 per cent).
Gen Y Brazil are unique amongst their
global peers in one respect—they value
humility. Being humble is a trait that 41
per cent particularly want to see in a
leader (ranked third behind only ability to
motivate and fairness). Outside Brazil, the
cross-country average for this is only 14
per cent, making this a point of significant
difference for employers to take account of.
Brazil’s recent corruption problems could
also have had an influence on Gen Y’s
feelings about the qualities necessary for
leadership and in particular, the importance
of fairness. Brazil is ranked 72nd out of 177
countries in Transparency International’s
Corruption Perceptions Index 2013, a poorer
ranking than Saudi Arabia (63rd) and only
just above Senegal (77th).41 The Brazilian
Senate announced it would be cracking
down on corruption in 2013, considering it
a “heinous crime” accruing lengthy prison
sentences (see box out in middle column).42
It is no wonder that the next generation
are looking for something different.
NOTICEABLE GENDER
DIFFERENCES
The relative importance of female
leadership in Brazil is increasingly
visible. For the last decade girls have
outperformed boys at school, currently
seeing 43 per cent of females successfully
completing high school compared with
39 per cent of males45—and women
now account for 60 per cent of all
university graduates in Brazil.46
Our survey shows that female Gen Y
Brazil respondents also have slightly
different expectations when it comes
to leadership. Fairness is recognised as
a top priority by 55 per cent of women,
12 GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
established part of the company culture.
Brazil is starting to turn its back
on corrupt leaders. In 2012, the
Mensalao scandal saw Jose
Dirceu, former Chief of Staff to the
President, jailed for ten years for
bribing coalition parties in order
to gain congressional support.
Joining him in jail were the former
president and treasurer of the
Worker’s Party, José Genoino and
Delúbio Soares.43 According to
a 2010 study by the Federation
of Industries of São Paulo State,
the average annual cost of
corruption in Brazil is between
1.38 per cent and 2.3 per cent
of the country’s total GDP. In
2013, this could have meant a
cost between US$32 and US$53
billion or US$267 per citizen.44
compared to 47 per cent of men, while
women also rate integrity more than men
(26 per cent versus 22 per cent), as well
as dedication to the company’s goals (15
per cent versus ten per cent) and being
able to motivate (52 per cent versus 47
per cent) as leadership qualities they seek.
As higher levels of gender equality embed
into the Brazilian workplace, catering to
these different desires will be important.
IMPLICATIONS FOR HR
Gen Y Brazil look for fairness and
humility in a leader. They also want
to be developed and value a culture
where coaching and mentoring feature
prominently. It is important therefore
that companies with a significant
employee representation of Gen Y’ers
are willing to address this very visibly.
If organisations are serious about
attracting and retaining talented Gen Y
Brazil employees they should consider
how their leadership development
programmes account for the softer
management skills that this generation
are looking for, especially if these sorts
of relationships are not already an
Ensuring line managers are trained to
coach and mentor people is part of
building a solid and relevant employer
value proposition (EVP). Encouraging
regular one on one development time is
also key. A robust appraisal system will
help to facilitate two-way performance
conversations, both formally and informally.
Publicising success stories in this space
both internally, and then externally through
social media, will help companies ‘walk
the talk’ with their employee base and
also ensure that they are tapping into
the right talent pools with a relevant
attraction proposition around training
and personal development. It is also
important for organisations to understand
that Gen Y Brazil prefer a relatively close
relationship with their boss: 40 per cent
said that their ideal boss would be one
they feel able to confide in and with
whom they could discuss private as
well as work matters. Helping managers
develop the necessary listening skills
will be important in this regard.
Brazil is fast becoming a global
leader in gender equality. Brazil
has had a female leader—
president Dilma Rousseff—since
2011. Consultancy Grant Thornton
estimates women make up 27
per cent of the senior managers
of Brazil’s leading companies,
compared with a global average
of 21 per cent (the UK manages
only 20 per cent and the United
States 17 per cent).47 Forbes
calculates that 20 per cent of
Brazil’s billionaires are women,
compared with a global average
of 10 per cent.48 In the workplace,
this now sees a higher proportion
of women in the labour force
(59 per cent) compared to the
likes of France (52 per cent)
and Britain (57 per cent).49
:
GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
13
3. ENTREPRENEURSHIP
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (colloquially known
as ‘Lula’) was credited with pulling tens of millions
of Brazilians out of poverty during his 1994–1998
and 2003–2011 terms in office. In so doing, he
expanded the Brazilian middle class to over 50 per
cent of the population.50 His ‘Growth Acceleration
Plan’ was launched in 2007 to increase investment
in infrastructure and provide tax incentives for
faster and more robust economic growth.
In the subsequent years, Brazil has
witnessed a rapid increase in the number
of start-ups created, and attitudes toward
entrepreneurship have become increasingly
favourable.51 The number of participants
in Brazil’s Global Entrepreneurship Week
increased from 1.5 million people in 2008 to
5.3 million in 2009, and Rio eventually hosted
the Global Entrepreneurial Congress in 2013.52
This is perhaps a consequence of the
optimism in Brazil’s economy ever since
being proclaimed one of the important
emerging BRIC economies, and our
research shows that Gen Y Brazil are not
likely to change this trend—they appear
to be an entrepreneurial group.53
Small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs)
are responsible for 96 per cent of all the
jobs in Brazil,54 compared, for example, to
the UK where they account for 59.3 per
cent of employment.55 According to the
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Brazil is
above average within Latin America and
the Caribbean in terms of perceptions of
entrepreneurialism as a good career choice.56
However, despite these positive indicators, a
complex tax system and stifling regulatory
environment continue to act as barriers to
entrepreneurs and threats to growth. Almost
half (49 per cent) of start-ups fail in their
first year57 compared to one in three in the
UK58 and one in four in the US.59 According
to the World Bank, Brazil ranks 123rd out of
185 countries in the ease of starting a new
business (a poorer ranking than its 2013
listing of 121st): it takes 13 procedures and 117
14 GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
days, paying at least four separate fees, to
register a new business—compared to just
six procedures and six days in the US.60
All of this is reflected in our Gen Y Brazil
research: the desire is certainly there,
but not necessarily the means.
GEN Y BRAZIL ARE
ASPIRATIONAL
ENTREPRENEURS
Gen Y Brazil show signs of clear and
focused entrepreneurial goals: 92 per
cent already have, or are interested
in having their own business.
Ricardo Semler may have
inherited his business Semco from
his father, but his radical style of
business leadership, ownership
and expansion has been distinctly
entrepreneurial in style. Before
taking over the business in the
early 1980s, Semco was a rigidly
hierarchical manufacturer of
marine pumps.61 Inspired by the
American company W. L. Gore’s
matrix structure, in 1985 Semler
created self-managed teams of
six to eight production workers
who were entirely in charge of all
aspects of their production. This
was followed by a democratically
elected committee responsible
for allocating profit-sharing,
which led to the management
taking a 40 per cent cut in salary
and workers approving business
expenditure. Associates now
set their own salaries, which are
publically posted.62 Semler’s book
‘Maverick’ became a management
bestseller of the 1980s and 1990s,
and Semco today operates a
global portfolio of businesses
across the service sectors,
environmental consultancy,
facilities management, real
estate brokerage and inventory
support industries.63
More than one in three (35 per cent) say that
having their own business is one of their main
career objectives, which is significantly higher
than the average of all the other countries
we have surveyed. Interestingly, 15 per cent
of our sample are already self employed.
This is a larger proportion than the other
countries we have explored, although this
could be due in part to historically higher
levels of self-employment in Brazil and South
America as a whole.64 According to the
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Brazil has a
business ownership rate of 15.4 per cent. This
is high even for South America (Argentina
has a rate of 9.6 per cent, Chile 8.5 per cent)
and especially when compared to the US and
the UK (at 7.5 and 6.6 per cent respectively).65
some of the bureaucratic blocks and
barriers. The Brazilian Micro-Enterprise and
Small Business Support Service (SEBRAE)
distributes millions of dollars to start-ups,
supported by organisations such as the
government’s Financing Agency for Projects
& Studies (FINEP), and has created a
400-strong business incubator network. In
2004, the Brazilian government even passed
a law that allows federal university professors
temporary leave to create a start-up.66
Despite ranking so low in the World Bank’s
Ease of Doing Business list, the government
appears to be seeking to capitalise on this
desire for entrepreneurialism by removing
As the fifth largest country on Earth in
terms of land mass, bigger than the whole
of Europe combined, Brazil understandably
has some regional variations in attitude. Our
99%
ARE STUDYING OR ARE
WILLING TO STUDY FURTHER
THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREER
survey finds that entrepreneurialism tends
to be higher the less developed a region
is. For instance, in Pernambuco (one of the
least developed regions in Brazil according
With Rio de Janeiro soon to host
unprecedented back-to-back
FIFA World Cup and summer
Olympic Games in 2014 and 2016,
it could be a boom period for
entrepreneurs in Brazil. According
to Entrepreneur magazine,
an Olympic host city typically
needs 50,000 to 60,000 beds
for visitors. The Morar Carioca
regeneration programme will also
open up many opportunities for
entrepreneurs with the favelas of
Rio receiving eight billion reais
(US$426 million or £256 million)
for urbanisation, building and
infrastructure support until 2020.68
Alex Nascimento, founder of
7BrazilConsulting, said, “The next
five years will be the hottest years
for Brazil.”69
to the Human Development Index),67 the
percentage of Gen Y who say having their
own business is one of their main career
objectives is 40 per cent. In São Paulo,
Brazil’s most populous city, the number
is only 28 per cent. This probably reflects
the reality that it is easier to work for a
corporation or bigger business in the main
cities and fending for yourself is the norm
in the further flung reaches of the country.
GEN Y BRAZIL SEEK
CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT
Brazil has slipped from 53rd in the Global
Competitiveness Index to 56th, with the
World Economic Forum citing as the cause
a failure to improve the quality of overall
infrastructure and education, for which it
is rated 121st out of 148.70 Poor educational
standards may also be a factor holding back
leadership capabilities in the country. Despite
the educational challenges that the country
faces (see boxout), our survey has found
a generation who are highly motivated to
progress their careers through further study.
While this interest is common across all of our
global sample—for example, 89 per cent of
Gen Y Germans or 96 per cent of Australians
are willing to study further during their career
or are already doing so—for Gen Y Brazil
the numbers are higher still, at 99 per cent.
They also have the highest percentage of
those already studying for a professional
qualification, 22 per cent, compared to
just seven per cent of Gen Y US and three
per cent of Gen Y China. Gen Y Brazil are
also highly interested in broadening their
horizons with international work—88 per
cent say they are interested in some form
of international work compared to 73 per
cent of Americans. However, a significant
number would prefer to have a permanent
base in Brazil rather than live and work
overseas, an option chosen by 55 per cent.
IMPLICATIONS FOR HR
Our survey suggests that Gen Y Brazil are
entrepreneurial in nature with a common
desire to have their own business. They also
show drive in the area of self-improvement,
with a strong interest in training,
development and career progression.
Where possible and appropriate, companies
should consider encouraging Gen Y Brazil’s
entrepreneurial spirit through greater role
autonomy and freedom to explore their
ideas and suggestions in the workplace.
This may take the form of specific project
work which perhaps has a developmental
aspect to it. Finding relevant challenges
should help keep Gen Y engaged, satisfied
and ultimately improve their performance.
Gen Y Brazil also have a strong interest in
international work, and companies able
to offer this sort of opportunity will stand
a better chance of bringing in the best
talent. Again, this could be in the form of
short-term projects or secondments with
an international dimension—it doesn’t
have to be overseas transfers which tend
to be expensive and of a longer duration.
If organisations wish to attract and retain
Gen Y Brazil, they must ensure that a
chance of progression and development
is clearly outlined in the employer
value proposition and evidenced in the
workplace as part of the culture.
If the initiative and entrepreneurial spirit
that our survey reveals is harnessed by
organisations, they can expect high levels of
engagement, performance and innovation
from this group and better, more productive
long-term employer-employee relationships.
In Brazil, only 41 per cent of
adults aged 25–64 have earned
the equivalent of a high-school
degree, significantly less than
the OECD average of 74 per
cent.71 Brazil is ranked 33rd out
of 36 OECD countries for overall
educational attainment and the
lowest for tertiary education, with
only 12.7 per cent of 25–34-yearolds having attained that level,
behind Turkey at 18.9 per cent (in
contrast to 43 per cent in France or
56.5 per cent in Canada).72
GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
15
4. ATTRACT
Gen Y Brazil grew up with first-hand experience of the
economic hardship suffered by their parents during
the chronic inflation and government debt crisis of the
1980s and early 1990s.73 However, since the economic
boom of the 2000s, wages have been growing even
faster than GDP—in 2013 per capita income grew eight
per cent, and according to the National Confederation
of Industry (CNI) real wages rose 169 per cent between
2001 and 2012.74
Record numbers of Brazilians in work
have contributed to the average monthly
income hitting a record high in November
2013 at US$1105.26 (up three per cent
from the previous year). In the same
month, Brazil’s jobless rate also fell to a
record low of 4.6 per cent,75 and in certain
areas of the country it is lower still—for
example 3.8 per cent in Rio de Janeiro.
Nevertheless, many of Brazil’s university
graduates are lured away by the prospect
of using their talents abroad. As early
as 2006, Brazilian economist Marcio
Ponchmann revealed that 140,000–
160,000 Brazilian degree holders were
leaving the country every year.76 This
appears to have slowed since then: from
2005 to 2010, the number of Brazilians
living abroad dropped from an estimated
four million to two million while an influx
from Europe following its severe recession
saw the Portuguese population in Brazil
increase 20 per cent between 2010
and 2011, from 277,000 to 329,000.77
It has therefore rarely been more
important for Brazilian employers to
understand what drives the brightest of
Gen Y Brazil in order to attract the very
best talent from settling elsewhere.
16 GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
Despite the legal maximum working
week being 44 hours, almost 40
per cent of men and a quarter of
women are reported to still be
working more than 45 hours a
week.78 In 2013, Brazilian public
prosecutors initiated proceedings
against Samsung for alleged poor
working conditions at one of the
group’s plants in the Amazon city
of Manaus, claiming employees
were working for up to ten hours
without breaks, and with evidence
that one employee worked for 27
days in a row.79 However, it’s not
just multinational companies being
targeted—a Brazilian court also
halted construction work at the
World Cup stadium (also in Manaus)
last year due to “unacceptable”
working conditions,80 and 300
companies since 2004 have been
found guilty of keeping employees
in “slave labour” conditions.81
Our research reveals that despite the
hardship of previous generations, money
is no longer the primary driver for Gen Y
Brazil. Creating personal wealth and
being well paid defines career success
for only 33 per cent of Gen Y Brazil in our
survey, compared to an average of 48 per
cent of their global peers. Instead Gen Y
Brazil prioritise flexibility, development
opportunities and interesting work.
FLEXIBILITY IS KEY
TO ATTRACTION
Our survey found that flexibility is the most
preferred benefit for Gen Y Brazil when
looking for a job or choosing an employer.
Nearly half (49 per cent) said they want
flexible hours at work and 40 per cent
cite the possibility to work from home as
the factor they look for when choosing
a job. This is higher than any other
country surveyed—above the US (who
were second highest) at 37 per cent and
far more than other countries surveyed
including Japan at 18 per cent and Russia
at 24 per cent. It seems that a rigid working
week will not be all that attractive and
motivational to this new generation.
TOP FOUR FACTORS WHEN
DECIDING ON A POTENTIAL
EMPLOYER:
BENEFITS OFFERED
44%
ABILITY TO PROGRESS QUICKLY
Employers have had to increase pay
and reward in line with government
legislation in modern Brazil in order
to improve living conditions. The
1988 Constitution increased the
overtime premium from 20 per
cent to 50 per cent.83 Employees
also receive a ‘13th salary’ each
year—an extra months’ pay, paid
in two halves, in November and
December. The national minimum
wage has also increased year on
year since its introduction in 2003,
up nine per cent in 2013 to 674.96
reais per month (from 622 reais in
2012)84 and by 6.8 per cent to 724
reais (US$310) per month in 2014.85
43%
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
42%
ONGOING STUDY OPPORTUNITIES
35%
RAPID DEVELOPMENT
OPPORTUNITIES WANTED
Gen Y Brazil want a fast-progressing,
challenging career. The ability to progress
quickly (43 per cent), training and
development (42 per cent) and ongoing
study opportunities (35 per cent) are
highly important and come second,
third and fourth respectively in terms of
popularity, a reflection of Gen Y Brazil’s
desire for personal development.
Financial compensation is by no means
unimportant: behind flexible hours, base
salary (42 per cent) and the potential
to earn bonuses (39 per cent) are the
second and fifth most popular options
respectively when respondents were asked
to rate rewards and benefits. However,
it seems that Gen Y Brazil’s priorities
lie elsewhere—perhaps a result of the
increase in earnings over recent years.
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS
ARE LESS IMPORTANT
The additional employment benefits
seen as important by other countries
are not rated as highly by Gen Y Brazil.
Dealing with old age is less on the minds
of this Gen Y sample. Only six per cent
of Gen Y Brazil said pensions were what
they were most likely to look for when
choosing a job, compared to 29 per cent
of Canadians and 33 per cent of their
counterparts in the UK where pension
provision and a rising retirement age have
become a more significant issue. Brazil
is ranked second out of 20 countries
evaluated by the Centre for Strategic
and International Studies for maintaining
retirees’ incomes.85 Brazilians only need
to contribute for 15 years to receive full
benefits (by the age of 65 for men or
60 for women), while average earners
receive a pension that reflects 97 per cent
of their final salary, much higher than
the 69 per cent OECD average.86 Given
this, it is perhaps no wonder pensions
are not on Gen Y Brazil’s agenda.
Holiday entitlement is barely considered
amongst Gen Y Brazil (sought out by
only 15 per cent compared to 56 per cent
of Gen Y Japan for example) and a likely
driver for this is legislation. All employees
are entitled to up to 30 days’ holiday
after only one full year of working with
the same employer.87 However, private
healthcare is almost twice as popular a
benefit in Brazil—chosen by 41 per cent—
compared to the cross-country average
of 24 per cent, and even more popular
than in the US (39 per cent). Healthcare
spending per person in Brazil ranks well
below the OECD average, at US$1,028
in 2010 compared with US$3,268.88
GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
17
4. ATTRACT
REWARDS & BENEFITS
FIVE MOST ATTRACTIVE
REWARDS AND BENEFITS:
49%
42%
41%
FLEXIBLE
WORKING—
WORK FLEXIBLE
HOURS
BASE
SALARY
PRIVATE
HEALTHCARE
Brazilians enjoy a good standard
of minimum employee benefits set
by government legislation.
Organisations must also provide
transportation vouchers to
compensate employees for their
commute.89 All employers with
more than 30 staff must also
provide a place where staff can
eat their meals and, whilst it’s not
obligatory, it’s expected that
employers buy staff who work a
44-hour week a meal a day too.90
Employees who work four or more
hours per day are entitled to a
minimum rest break, while part
time employees are entitled to the
same remuneration pro rata to
that of full time employees
performing a similar job.91
18 GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
40%
FLEXIBLE
WORKING—
WORK AT HOME
IMPLICATIONS FOR HR
Flexible working and career progression
are clearly important features of any EVP
for companies if they want to attract
the best of Gen Y Brazil. It isn’t all about
money too. While businesses should
not underestimate the importance
of a competitive base salary and
bonus package, this alone may not
be enough to attract this cohort.
While they are relatively uninterested
in benefits such as holiday allowance
and pensions, private healthcare is
important. They also have other clear
preferences. For Gen Y Brazil any
employer value propositions should also
include a clear route to self-improvement
through training, development and
progression, preferably with flexible
hours, and an option for home-working.
39%
POTENTIAL
TO EARN
BONUS
What employers can offer will of
course depend on the nature of their
industry or business offering and will
not be practical for everyone. However,
where possible it is worth considering
how to appeal to these preferences
and adapt the EVP as appropriate.
Gen Y will soon be an important part
of any company’s workforce and
attracting the best prospects should
be a key concern for any employer.
GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
19
17
5. RETAIN
Brazil has been ranked second among the world’s
nations suffering from acute skills shortages. The
Hays 2013 Global Skills Index (GSI) saw Brazil’s score
fall marginally to 5.6 from 5.7 in 2012. The Hays
GSI found that employers will have considerable
difficulty attracting and retaining highly-skilled
labour in the current environment, with GDP
growing sluggishly compared to previous years.92
The issue is compounded by Ernst
& Young’s finding that, typically of
emerging markets, Brazil has a very
high rate of employee turnover at an
average of 32 per cent.93 Retention is
therefore fast becoming one of the
country’s most serious employment
issues. According to a recent study of
1,200 Brazilian executives, 85 per cent
said they weren’t left with suitable talent
to promote within their organisations.94
Worryingly for employers looking to retain
their best talent, it seems that Gen Y
Brazil are more than twice as likely than
average to expect to have more than ten
employers in their career compared to
the cross-country average (16 per cent
compared to eight per cent). It’s therefore
vital to create environments where the
best Gen Y Brazil employees feel happy,
and experience continuous development;
not only to get the best out of them
in the short term, but also to increase
their likelihood of sticking around in the
long run. Our research uncovers exactly
what Gen Y Brazil are looking for from
their employers in order to stay put.
PERSONAL GROWTH AND
RECOGNITION RULE
The results of our survey show that
achieving professional and personal
recognition is extremely important to
20 GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
Brazil’s leading pharmaceutical
firm Novartis is set to open the
first biotech plant in the country
in 2017—yet it is reportedly unable
to attract and train the workers
to staff it.95 The Hays Global Skills
Index ranks Brazil among the worst
of the 30 countries studied in terms
of secondary school education
quality.96 This has likely impacted
the supply of skills available to
employers today and will continue
to do so in future if not addressed.97
To combat this, in 2012 President
Rousseff announced a strategy,
‘Science without Borders’, to fund
101,000 Brazilian students to go
abroad to study science and maths
in English by 2015 (currently only
five per cent of the population
speak English).98 This initiative has
seen large increases in Brazilian
students across several Englishspeaking countries including the
US, Canada, the UK and Australia.99
Gen Y Brazil. Professional recognition
(for 47 per cent of respondents) comes
joint second when Gen Y Brazil are asked
to define career success. In response to
the question “what do you want from
work/career?”, personal recognition was
second (43 per cent) behind acquiring
knowledge (top with 58 per cent)—the
latter being a popular theme throughout
the survey. However when asked about
public recognition, the response was
far lower—this defines success for
only 17 per cent of Gen Y Brazil.
Research by Business School São Paulo
has found the top reason (selected
by 31 per cent) Brazilians leave their
jobs is down to the fact they sense no
prospect for professional growth.101 This
is seemingly in contrast to the 85 per
cent of Brazilian executives who say
they are unable to find suitable talent to
promote from within,102 but it could also
suggest that organisations have failed
to adequately offer the development
programmes that allow individuals to
grow and progress. Addressing this is an
easy win for many organisations if they
are serious about retaining key people.
PERSONAL WEALTH
LESS IMPORTANT THAN
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Making a difference to society (35 per
cent) comes ahead of personal wealth
(29 per cent) in what Gen Y Brazil want
most from their career—a unique response
amongst the global peer group surveyed.
WHAT GEN Y BRAZIL WANT MOST
FROM THEIR WORK:
ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE
HELPING OTHERS
58%
30%
PERSONAL RECOGNITION
PERSONAL WEALTH
43%
29%
TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO SOCIETY
JOB SECURITY
35%
29%
In Brazil, employers could be
forgiven for feeling less secure
than their employees. A worker
can terminate an employment
contract at any time and without
any reason or notice. A statutory
Service Guarantee Fund (Fundo
de Garantia do Tempo de Serviço,
or FGTS) into which the employer
pays the equivalent of eight per
cent of the employee’s salary per
month is also paid to employees
who are dismissed unfairly, if they
or a dependent suffers from cancer,
or even if they need a deposit to
buy a house.100 The high amount of
worker protection experienced in
the country could therefore explain
why our research shows Gen Y
Brazil as uniquely confident about
keeping a job compared to their
international peers: 89 per cent
think that job security is achievable,
which is far higher than some
countries who have experienced
recession and job cuts on the back
of the global financial crisis.
It seems that Gen Y Brazil have an altruistic
aspect to their desires from the world of
work. Having a job that helps others is
actually wanted more, albeit marginally,
than work that rewards them with
personal wealth (30 per cent compared
to 29 per cent). While the survey finds
base salary to be important when asked
which reward or benefit they would
most likely look for when choosing a job,
it was still only chosen by 42 per cent
(the lowest figure found internationally
so far), below the possibility to work
flexible hours at 49 per cent. Where
organisations can offer flexibility, it may
be worth far more than salary alone.
JOB SATISFACTION
The overwhelming factor that gives
Gen Y Brazil most satisfaction, according
to our survey, is access to learning and
development opportunities (chosen by
49 per cent), closely followed by feeling
valued and appreciated (48 per cent).
This is more than twice as important
as having varied and interesting work
(22 per cent) and is significantly more
than the need to be in a team (30 per
cent). Businesses that develop their
EVP around this area will get ahead of
their competitors in the war for talent.
For 58 per cent of Gen Y Brazil, acquiring
knowledge and expertise is one of
the things they want most from their
careers (compared to a cross-country
average of 39 per cent and US figure
of 35 per cent); 47 per cent also feel
that work-life balance defines career
success (more than the 39 per cent of
Japanese or 32 per cent of Germans).
But it isn’t all about just bettering
themselves—many want to give back too.
For 35 per cent of our sample, making a
difference to society during their career
is important. Through self-improvement
and making up for their relatively poor
education, Gen Y Brazil can make a
significant contribution to the country as
a whole—the long working hours and low
life expectancy long experienced by their
parents’ generation is now theirs to change.
If organisations can harness Gen Y Brazil as
part of their corporate social responsibility
agendas, this will most likely make a
difference to employee engagement.
Training and developing projects in the
local community are one possibility.103
GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
21
5. RETAIN
value on training and development in
order to advance their careers and attain
recognition for their achievements.
Facilitating this will help secure talent for
most organisations, but it will also need
the right managers and leaders in place,
not just programmes and processes.
CAREER SUCCESS
INDICATORS:
57%
47%
ACHIEVING JOB
SATISFACTION/
ENJOYING MY
WORK
ACHIEVING A
WORK/LIFE
BALANCE
ACHIEVING
PROFESSIONAL
RECOGNITION
33%
27%
22%
CREATING
PERSONAL
WEALTH/BEING
WELL PAID
MAKING A
DIFFERENCE IN
SOCIETY
OBTAINING A
RANGE OF
EXPERIENCES
IMPLICATIONS FOR HR
Gen Y Brazil pose an interesting dilemma
for HR professionals and businesses. While
the majority see themselves having six
or fewer employers in their career, they
are twice as likely as their international
peers to expect to have ten or more (16
per cent versus eight per cent). We have
also found that 48 per cent of Gen Y
Brazil say ‘it depends’ when asked how
long they should stay in their first job.
They are clear in what will attract and
22 GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
47%
retain them in a business—so it is up to
companies and HR leaders to develop
appropriate EVPs to maximise the
contribution of Gen Y Brazil if they are
an important part of their workforce.
Their desire for personal growth and
progression found in our survey also
suggests that, given the right training,
environment and feedback, Gen Y Brazil
will be highly engaged—they want to
improve, to develop their expertise and
to feel valued. Gen Y Brazil place a high
Organisations also need to bear in mind
this generation’s socially conscious nature
and try to find opportunities for people
to give back to the local community
through relevant CSR initiatives. Gen Y
Brazil want to make a difference to their
society more than they want financial
gain for themselves, and offering them
a chance to do this could make the
difference in retaining the best prospects.
Gen Y Brazil are not only looking
to make a difference to society
through their working lives, they
are also willing to take to the
streets to enact social change in
their own time. Dramatic street
demonstrations broke out in
the summer of 2013 across at
least 80 Brazilian cities, with
an estimated turnout of two
million—predominantly Gen Y—
protesters. The movement began
in response to an increase in public
transportation fares, but turned
into a broader denouncement of
corruption, poor public services
and lack of investment in health
and education.104 “Brazil woke up”,
said 24-year-old Paulo Henrique
Lima, one of the organisers, to
The Guardian. “The youth are
going to the street, the workers
as well [...] We are changing the
history of this country. We are
going to construct a new politics
where people have a voice.”105
GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
23
6. TECHNOLOGY AND
SOCIAL MEDIA AT WORK
When it comes to many social and economic
indicators, Brazil is still playing catch-up, and
the economy, which expanded so rapidly in the
2000s, is now showing signs of slowing.
However, when it comes to technology and
the growth of social media, Gen Y Brazil were
early adopters and have kept up the pace ever
since. For such a vast country Brazil is also
highly connected, with around 80 per cent
of the population predicted to have internet
access by the year 2016,106 compared to an
estimated global average of 50 per cent.107
Of the country’s current internet users
(around 78 million people), 79 per cent are
now on social media; Brazil has the highest
percentage of Twitter users of all non-English
speaking countries108 and has the secondbiggest amount of Twitter users (with more
than 41 million Tweeters and counting).109 In
2013, it had more than 65 million Facebook
users—second only to the number in the US.
In fact, while there are suggestions that in
the Western world Facebook’s popularity
is declining,110 in Brazil usage was up 208
per cent in 2013 on the year before to an
average of 535 minutes, per user, per month.
However, as the results of our survey show,
rapid adoption of technology also means
Gen Y Brazil are having to grapple with the
problems this brings at a greater speed than
their peers in other countries. There is a feeling
that technology—and the demands of social
media in particular—can be detrimental to the
work environment and to their personal lives.
In our survey, 32 per cent say they can’t
resist looking at work emails while they
are on holiday, while 31 per cent say
they find it hard to switch off from work
due to having constant connectivity. At
the same time, only six per cent believe
social media is a helpful tool at work.
FAST ADOPTION;
FASTER PROBLEMS
With fast adoption though come dilemmas
faced the world over surrounding the
conflict between work and personal
life. When asked if the lines between
work and social life are being eroded by
technology, a massive 88 per cent of Gen Y
Brazil agree (significantly higher than the
cross-country average of 59 per cent).
These concerns also come through in
Gen Y Brazil’s expectation that recruitment
processes now involve employers
researching prospective candidates’
social media profiles: more than one third
(36 per cent) of respondents say they
expect that and would indeed do the
same themselves. Yet while they know
it’s happening, a significant number don’t
like it: 40 per cent say that although they
expect it, they regard it as unethical.
DEALING WITH SOCIAL
MEDIA AT WORK
The wide use of social media is having an
impact on what Gen Y Brazil expect from
the world of work. Half of Gen Y Brazil
respondents predict that social media will
be the most popular form of communication
at work in five years’ time, compared to a
cross country average of just 26 per cent.
However, when it comes down to it, email
still comes out on top with 58 per cent.
Connectivity now forms an important part
of Gen Y Brazil’s decision-making process
when joining companies. Nearly one third
(31 per cent) say they would be unlikely
Some Brazilian firms are attempting
to address work-life balance fears.
For example, São Paulo-based
business magazine Exame’s annual
well-being review has highlighted
pharmaceutical company Eurofarma
as one of the leading organisations
for health and quality of life
programmes. The hugely successful
generic pharmaceuticals company—
with a current expansion plan to
be present in 95% of the Latin
American market by completing at
least one acquisition per year111—has
attracted attention for its employee
strategy including turning off
access to email when an employee
goes on vacation, providing a 70
per cent subsidy for staff who use
personal trainers and nutritionists,
as well as offering free healthcare.112
to work for a company if it blocked their
access to social media. And more than
half (55 per cent) expect their bosses to
58%
50%
41%
EMAIL
SOCIAL MEDIA - CORPORATE/
BUSINESS SPECIFIC
MOBILE PHONE
(CALL)
HOW GEN Y BRAZIL EXPECT
TO COMMUNICATE AT WORK 5
YEARS FROM NOW:
24 GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
trust their use of social media at work.
Before Facebook, Brazil had
Orkut. The Google-owned social
networking site named after
its creator, Google employee
Orkut Büyükkökten, started out
in California, but such was its
popularity in Brazil that Google
moved the entire operation to
the city of Belo Horizonte. In
2011, Orkut had over 34 million
Brazilian users a month, well over
half the social network’s global
traffic. By December of that year
though, the inevitable happened:
Facebook hit 36 million, overtaking
Orkut for the first time.113
IMPLICATIONS FOR HR
Businesses increasingly need to work with,
and understand, the needs of the most
digitally-connected generation Brazil has
ever seen—even if this can sometimes
appear to be conflicting. Gen Y Brazil would
rather employers trust them to use social
media than not, and expect it to become
a big part of working life in the future.
or two-page CV is seen as most important
by 48 per cent of Gen Y Brazil when looking
for work. Though Gen Y Brazil don’t see
social media as particularly useful for work at
present, they predict it will become a major
part of the workplace in the next five years.
Businesses also need to explore social media
usage for Gen Y Brazil consumers as well
as employees, given the high rate of social
networking amongst this demographic.
However, there’s no need to insist employees
tweet each other meeting requests just
yet. Almost a quarter (24 per cent) of
Gen Y Brazil admit they find social media
distracting at work. Old-style CVs are also
much more highly regarded than any online
presence as a means of finding work: a one
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GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
25
ABOUT HAYS
Hays is the world’s leading recruiting expert
in qualified, professional and skilled work.
We employ over 7,800 staff in 239 offices
across 33 countries. Last year we placed
around 53,000 people in permanent jobs and
nearly 182,000 in temporary positions.
Hays works across 20 areas of specialism, from
healthcare to telecoms, banking to construction
and education to information technology, covering
the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
Our recruiting experts deal with 150,000 CVs every
month and more than 50,000 live jobs globally
at any one time. The depth and breadth of our
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the right individual can have on a business and
how the right job can transform a person’s life.
Our job is to know about professional
employment, employers and employees.
For more information, visit hays.com
26 GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Amaro, E. (2012) ‘Staff Turnover in Brazil’, TheBrazilBusiness.com
Antunes, A. (2013) ‘The Cost Of Corruption In Brazil Could Be Up To $53 Billion Just This Year Alone’, Forbes, November
Associated Press (2013) ‘How retirement systems vary, country to country’, December
Association of Executive Search Consultants (2010) ‘Executive Talent: A key to unlocking Brazil’s Future’
Axt, B. (2007) ‘Brazil’s Brain Drain’, The Guardian, September
Barnett, E. (2012) ‘Facebook finally overtakes Google’s Orkut in Brazil’, The Daily Telegraph, January
BBC (2013) ‘Brazil Mensalao Trial: Former Chief Of Staff Jailed’, November
BBC (2013) ‘Brazil Senate Toughens Punishments for Corruption’, June
BBC (2013) ‘Brazil World Cup 2013: Court halts stadium construction’, December
Bender, S et al. (2008) ‘The Analysis of Firms and Employees: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches’, The University of Chicago Press
Boston College Centre for Work and Family (2010) ‘Executive Briefing Series: Brazil’
Brazilian Embassy of New Zealand (2013) ‘Brazilian Economy’
Brock, W. (2005) ‘Lessons from Semco on Structure, Growth and Change’, Supervisory Leadership
Business In Brazil (2011) ‘Business Culture’
Byrne, L. (2012) ‘Brazil Raises 2013 Minimum Wage: Daily’, The Rio Times, December
Cardoso, C. (2011) ‘The contribution of Empreender Project to the development of micro and small enterprises’ networks at Santa Catarina State (Brazil)’, Spatial and
Organizational Dynamics Discussion Paper nº 6, University of Algarve
Cidade Olimpica (2014) ‘Morar Carioca’, http://www.cidadeolimpica.com.br/en/projetos/morar-carioca-2/
Cuadros, A. (2013) ‘Eike Batista, the Man Who Lost $25 Billion in One Year’, March
Cullens, J. & Waters, R. (2013) ‘The confluence of strategic CSR and leadership development at Hays plc’, Journal of Global Responsibility, Vol. 4, No. 2
Family Firm Institute Inc. (2013) ‘Global Data Points’
Federation of Small Businesses (2013) ‘Small Business Statistics’
Forbes (2014) ‘At a Glance: Carlos Jereissati’
Geromel, R. (2013) ‘All About Brazil’s Female Billionaires’, Forbes, May
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (2013) ‘GEM 2013 Global Report’, http://www.gemconsortium.org/docs/download/3106
Goldman Sachs (2003) ‘Dreaming with BRICs: The Path to 2050’
Grant Thornton (2012) ‘Women in senior management: still not enough’, http://www.grantthornton.ae/content/files/ibr2012-women-in-senior-management-master.pdf
Hays (2013) ‘Brazil Overview: Global Skills Index 2013’
Holmes, R. (2013) ‘The Future of Social Media? Forget About The U.S, Look to Brazil’, Forbes, December
International Labour Organisation (2013) ‘Brazil—Severance pay and redundancy payment’
Internationalexperts.com (2012) ‘How to comply with Brazilian employment law’, August
Kaslow, A. (2014) ‘Brazil’s economic trap’, Fortune, January
Kerr, D. (2013) ‘Samsung under first for alleged labor abuses in Brazil’, CNET News, August
Lissardy, G. (2013) ‘Eike Batista—Brazil’s Fallen Billionaire’, BBC, July
Marks, G. (2013) ‘Why Facebook Is In Decline’, Forbes, August
Millard, P. & Well, K. (2013) ‘How Brazil’s Richest Man Lost $34.5 billion’, Juan Pablo Spinetto, Peter Millard and Ken Wells, Businessweek
Miller Llana, S. (2012) ‘Reverse Brain Drain Pulls Brazilians Home, and Europeans With Them’, The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, October
Mioto, R. (2013) ‘Wages rise much more than productivity in Brazil’, Folha de S.Paulo, October
Moreno, R. (2014) ‘King of the Mall’, Monocle, April
Narita, R. (2011) ‘Self Employment in Developing Countries’, UCL, April
OECD (2013) ‘Education at a Glance’
OECD (2013) ‘Territorial Reviews: Brazil 2013’
OECD (2014) ‘Better Life Index: Brazil’
Ortmans, J. (2014) ‘Brazil’s Entrepreneurship Boom’, http://www.entrepreneurship.org/policy-forum/brazils-entrepreneurship-boom.aspx
Padgett, T. (2014) ‘Brazil’s Slaves Are Being Freed, But Owners Go Largely Unpunished’, NPR, January
Pozin, I. (2013) ‘How to avoid being a startup failure’, Forbes, November
Project GLOBE (2012) ‘Leader Effectiveness and Culture’
Ramón, P. (2013) ‘Poor, middle class unite in Brazil protests’, CNNMexico, July
Rapoza, K. (2013) ‘Will Brazil Overtake Twitter Like It Did Orkut?’, Forbes, January
Reuters, ‘Rousseff says Brazil raises 2014 minimum wage by 6.78 pct’, 23 December
Ringoen, J. & Vancil, S. (2013) ‘Are Brazilian Protesters’ Demands Being Met?’, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, June
Schmidt, A. (2014) ‘Global Startup Trend for 2014: Consider Brazil’, Entrepreneur, November
Science without Borders (2014) ‘Student Experience’, http://sciencewithoutborders.international.ac.uk/about/swb-uk-community/student-experience.aspx
Semco Partners (2013) ‘About Us’, http://www.semco.com.br/en/
Semler, R. (1995) ‘Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World’s Most Unusual Workplace’, Grand Central Publishing, Reprint Edition
Sharma, R. (2012) ‘Breakout Nations—in pursuit of economic miracles’, Chapter 4, Is God Brazilian?
SHRM (2013) ‘Navigating Labor Compliance in Brazil’
The Economist (2013) ‘Redeemers of a macho society’, June
The EY G20 Entrepreneurship Barometer (2013) ‘Brazil: at a glance’
The Levin Institute (2010) ‘The Evolving Global Talent Pool: Lessons from the BRICS Countries’, State University of New York
The Papagio (2013) ‘New Brazilian Domestic Staff Law’, April
The Pharma Letter (2010) ‘Brazil’s Eurofarma acquires Labs Gautier of Uruguay’, September
The Times 100 Business Case Studies (2014) ‘Business Failure’
The World Bank (2014) ‘Ease of Doing Business in Brazil’, doingbusiness.org
Trading Economics (2013) ‘Brazil’
Transparency International (2013) ‘Corruption Perceptions Index’
Von der Heydt, A. (2013) ‘The fall of a Mega Billionaire—3 lessons to be learned’, LinkedIn Leadership and Management blog, August
Watts, J. (2013) ‘Brazil erupts in protest’, The Guardian, June
Weber, T. (2012) ‘Web economy in G20 set to double’, BBC, January
Wharton University of Pennsylvania (2010) ‘Decoding the DNA of Brazilian Multinationals’, March
World Bank (2013) ‘Growth and Crisis’, http://blogs.worldbank.org/growth/
World Economic Forum (2013) ‘The Global Competitiveness Report 2013–2014’
Davies, W. (2013) ‘Billionaire Eike Batista’s dreams crumble’, BBC, October
XpertHR (2013) ‘Brazil: Employee rights’
GEN Y AND THE WORLD OF WORK
27
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