Labor force formation in the Brazilian primary-export economy

Abstract

This study presents the results of a research on the jobs that have been generated by an economy undergoing a process of deindustrialization and reprimarization, concomitant with strong influxes in scientific and technological education. The objective was to evaluate the impact of the Brazilian economic structure on public educational policies for the formation of the labor force necessary for this market, especially for those graduating from high school and vocational education. Because it is a period in which insertion into the world of work becomes equivalent to education, the last stage of basic education plays an important role, especially for those who live from work. However, between expectation and reality, occupations have been of low and medium complexity, even in the face of rising juvenile schooling. With low technological intensity of its productive structure, the education for young people tends to be oriented to supply the human resources for this economy. This study is based on data available from the Ministries of Labor, Education, and the Economy, IBGE, IPEA, and ILO, anchored on a theoretical framework related to the themes of education and labor. As a result, it is possible to infer an economic (re)taking of low technological activity underway, and a corresponding pressure on technical-scientific education for the training of workers destined for this growing market.