Bucking the trend of the crisis: Goiás has 21 new companies in four years.

Goiás 247 - The year 2016 ended with a slowdown in the rate of formal job losses in the country, and Goiás was among the states that suffered the least from the crisis last year, according to data from the Ministry of Labor. One of the reasons is the incentive given to attracting companies and attracting investments by the state government.

A hallmark of Marconi Perillo's government, job creation and the establishment of new businesses in the state of Goiás have been and remain among the priorities. From 2011 (the beginning of Marconi's third term) to 2015 (the last year of evaluation of the Annual Social Information Report (RAIS)), more than 21 new companies were created in Goiás.

In 2011, there were 138 companies, while in 2015 the number rose to 159, placing Goiás 7th among the states in Brazil that created the most companies. Regarding employment, from 2011 to December 2016, approximately 180 jobs were created in the state, according to Caged indicators. The years 2012 and 2014 achieved the best rankings in absolute terms regarding job creation.

João Quirino, head of the Economic Research sector at the Mauro Borges Institute, says that the state of Goiás has attracted a large number of companies, and an example is the municipality of Edealina. According to a study by the Institute for Municipal Development (IDM), Edealina, in the Vale dos Bois microregion, is the city with the best Performance Index (IDM) in Goiás, followed by Goiânia and Cachoeira Dourada.

In the first edition of the Municipal Performance Index, in 2012, Edealina was ranked 75th. In the following study, it jumped to 14th place, until securing first place last year among the 246 municipalities in Goiás.

According to Quirino, much of this growth is due to the installation of a company in the region, the Votorantim group's factory (photo). At the time, Marconi Perillo emphasized that the arrival of this factory was only possible due to the aggressive policy of the State Government regarding tax incentives and the transport infrastructure that Goiás possesses. "A company of this size adds value to the local economy, generates taxes, employment, and income," highlighted Marconi, for whom the most important thing when a company establishes itself in the municipality is that "the economy thrives."

The plant, which began operations in late 2015, has an annual production capacity of two million tons of cement and generates 600 direct and indirect jobs. During the construction phase, which ended last year, it created 1,6 jobs.

One of those who benefited from this attraction of companies, Votorantim's technical information assistant, Fausto Alves, says that he was living abroad, looking for new opportunities when he heard about the construction of the new factory. He returned and got a job.

“Before, there were no opportunities here. Now the city has grown. Many other people have returned to the city,” says Fausto, proud of the development of the municipality where he was born. Now, in addition to his job, he says he can also stay close to his family, who are all from Edealina, and that makes him feel fulfilled.