Foreign labor floods the service sector in Belo Horizonte.

Mines 247 According to organizations linked to the hotel, bar, and restaurant sectors, Belo Horizonte is receiving an increasing number of Europeans seeking work. Bilingual professionals, gastronomy specialists, and wine connoisseurs are gaining ground in the city's establishments.

Check out the article by the journalists. Paula Takahashi and Carolina Mansur, from the newspaper State of Minas:

It started with projects in the oil and gas sector, then moved into engineering, spread to less prestigious positions in civil construction, and is now taking its first steps in the service sector, more precisely in the bar and restaurant market of Belo Horizonte. The increase in foreign professionals entering the country is already reaching what are considered low-paying jobs, such as waiter and even valet parking. Those who come from abroad take advantage of the partnership with Brazilians to seek opportunities that are currently unavailable in their homeland. The phenomenon combines hunger with the desire to eat. On one side, qualified, bilingual professionals with experience in the field and knowledgeable about wine and gastronomy; on the other, business owners desperate to complete their staff, especially waiters, who are now highly sought after.

It was the combination of these two scenarios that led the owner of the L'Astigiano restaurant, Paolo Resmini, to hire Italian waiters Giorgio Urbani and Antonio Romano this year. “They knocked on our door looking for work and were hired,” says Resmini. “Not to mention that they undeniably contribute to bringing a piece of Italy to the restaurant, which specializes in Italian cuisine. Customers enjoy frequenting a more authentic environment,” he adds.

The professionals' training, with experience in various restaurants worldwide, was another advantage, making the difficulty with Portuguese a secondary concern. Both Giorgio and Antonio are married to women from Belo Horizonte and, as soon as they obtained their work permits, they went in search of jobs. “I selected Italian restaurants and went for it. I was hired within a week,” Antonio assures. For Giorgio, who was hired as a manager, Brazil is currently the land of opportunity, a factor he always considers when moving from one place to another. “I've worked in Ireland, the United States, and Australia, and that's why I live in Brazil today. I'm chasing the economic boom, and in that respect, Brazil is booming,” he says smiling.

Reginaldo Jimenez, owner of the Spanish restaurant and show venue Soleá Tablao Flamenco, recognizes the profile of the foreigners who arrive here. “The professionals seeking work are bold and always go where the money is. In this case, the place to be is Brazil, which will host two major events in the coming years,” he states, citing the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

It is from the PIIGS countries (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain) – countries that are in the eye of the storm of the European crisis – that the main job seekers come. Among them is the Portuguese Ricardo Manoel Mota Martins, 42, who arrived in the country last October with his Brazilian wife and son to try his luck here. In Lisbon, to support his family, he worked during the day as a baker in a bakery and at night as a waiter in a restaurant.

“As things got difficult because of the crisis, we decided to come here and try to find work,” he recalls. In less than a month, Martins received two job offers. “At Cocana Beer, where I work, I was supposed to be a waiter, but they saw that with my experience I could work as a manager,” he says.

Demand

Reginaldo Jimenez says that at least once a week he is approached by customers of other nationalities, as well as by professionals who want to work at the establishment. “I’ve already had Spaniards, Italians, and a French woman. They are looking for adventure in the country and accept the job as a waiter,” he explains. Job requests also come via email and social media.

At the Association of Waiters and Similar Professionals of Minas Gerais (AGPS-MG), the movement is also recent. "In the last two months, we've received people from other countries interested in entering the market," says president Carlos Fernando da Silva. For him, the competition is positive, as long as those hired are from the field. "People with higher levels of education are arriving, from countries like Spain and Portugal, since the market there is closed," he observes.

The executive director of the Brazilian Association of Bars and Restaurants of Minas Gerais (Abrasel-MG), Lucas Pêgo, acknowledges that the trend of hiring foreigners, and even professionals from other states, is growing. “Belo Horizonte is suffering from a terrible labor shortage. The biggest indicator of this is the number of signs advertising this on the doors of bars and restaurants. That's why other alternatives are being created,” says Pêgo.