Our partner Thiago Araújo participated in an article published by ESTADÃO on the challenges companies have faced in attracting and retaining skilled labour amid the boom in new highway concessions.

In 2024, Brazil held seven federal highway auctions, the highest number in 17 years. Between 2015 and 2018, at the height of Operation Car Wash and the fiscal crisis, Brazil held only two. From 2019 to 2022, there were seven. Between 2023 and 2025, the number jumped to 16, while the federal government’s goal is to deliver 35 concessions by the end of the current term.

But the ‘wave’ of new concessions is running into a bottleneck: a shortage of skilled workers. The National Confederation of Industry (CNI) estimates a deficit of 75,000 engineers in the country.

According to Thiago, the list of challenges includes the high complexity of an engineering career and low starting salaries compared to other sectors. He believes that “the scenario can only be changed by updating courses and improving labour market projections.

Read the full article: https://www.conjur.com.br/2025-set-08/tcu-afasta-responsabilidade-de-diretores-do-bndes-em-operacao-com-a-jbs/