Brazil job growth slows
Brazil added 370,339 formal jobs in Jan–Feb 2026, a 38% year‑over‑year drop in pace — the slowdown amid high interest rates may push more skilled Brazilians to seek migration to North America (riotimesonline.com).
Novo Caged data show Brazil created 370,339 net formal jobs in January–February 2026, a 37.8% decline from roughly 595,000 in the same two‑month period of 2025. (riotimesonline.com (riotimesonline.com)) February 2026 alone registered a net gain of 255,321 formal positions, driven by 2,381,767 hires against 2,126,446 dismissals, with the services sector accounting for 177,953 of February’s hires. (gov.br — Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego (gov.br)) The CAGED releases report a total formal workforce near 48.8 million employees and a 12‑month increase of about 2.19%, while regional balances showed the Southeast adding 133,052 jobs and several states — including Alagoas, Rio Grande do Norte and Paraíba — posting negative monthly balances. (riotimesonline.com (riotimesonline.com); newsrondonia.com.br (newsrondonia.com.br)) Monetary policy tightened hiring conditions through early 2026 as the Selic benchmark sat at 15.00% before the central bank’s March 18, 2026 cut to 14.75% — the first reduction after nearly two years at elevated rates. (Banco Central/Bloomberg/Agência Brasil ( )) Concurrently, Canada’s 2026 Express Entry adjustments explicitly prioritize top talent and economic immigrants, with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada emphasizing skilled-worker pathways as a driver of labour‑force growth. (Canada.ca — IRCC press release (canada.ca)) U.S. immigration timing for skilled Brazilians has a window: the April 2026 Visa Bulletin lists EB‑2 as “Current” for Brazil, while consular processing remains constrained for some nationalities because Brazil is referenced on the State Department’s immigrant‑visa pause list. (NatLawReview / Visa Bulletin analysis (natlawreview.com))
