Offer of temporary vacancies for Christmas revised downwards

With inflationary pressure and rising interest rates, which affect the population’s purchasing power, the CNC (National Confederation of Commerce of Goods, Services and Tourism) decided to reduce the projection of temporary contracts for Christmas this year.

The new forecast indicates the opening of 89.4 thousand vacancies. In practice, it represents a cut of almost 5,000 jobs compared to the previous estimate for 2021, made last September. At the time, CNC had estimated the opening of 94,200 temporary hires this year. It would be the highest level in eight years — that is, since 2013.

The new number of 89.4 thousand, however, is the highest since 2019 (91.6 thousand). “In a situation of normal consumption, retail would be able to generate more temporary hires than expected now. That’s the point,” says CNC economist Fabio Bentes.

“Interests are higher for the consumer, inflation is in double digits. Given these conditions, the review had to be made.”

According to CNC, Christmas 2021 should move BRL 57.48 billion in sales. With the discount for inflation, the projection signals a drop of 2.6% compared to 2020, the second consecutive year of retreat. In September, the entity expected an increase of 3.8%, in real terms, in 2021.

Even in the face of the worsening economy, after a GDP (Gross Domestic Product) lower than expected, the outsourced and temporary sector prefers to speak of “cautious optimism”, and will not project any lower vacancies for the quarter of October, November and December, which involves signings for Christmas.

According to Asserttem (Brazilian Association of Temporary Work), the 565 thousand positions previously foreseen are maintained. “It’s a cautious optimism. We didn’t make any exaggerations in our forecasts so that we wouldn’t be taken by surprise”, says Marcos de Abreu ​, president of the association.

He also says that, if a sector does not hire, another may have a good performance, as is the case with the food industry, which does not open vacancies in December, but which has contracts underway this month. “The food industry, which did not hire in December, was taken by surprise, with an exaggerated growth in the area of ​​services, especially services for individuals, which involve gym, tourism and bars and restaurants,” he says.

The heated food sector is what guaranteed the temporary vacancy at the end of the year for young Nathan de Vincenzo Nascimento, 21, who is working as a promoter. His job is to make Panettone at the Sonda supermarket chain, where he visits a store every day.

The professional says that he was in the bakery area during the pandemic, but without a formal contract. Now, with the formal temporary job, he expects to be able to be hired in 2022. “I think this job can open doors, because they hire me to make the panettone, but I’ve already started to mess with other things”, he says.

Cris Mahara, manager of HR services at Employer, says the hiring rate for temp jobs is 22%, indicating that for every three temp, one is hired. According to her, even with the insecurity regarding the economy and the new Covid strain, the omicron, there are sectors that, in fact, continue to be more heated, such as online commerce.

“Ecommerce is still on the rise, which triggers an increase in hiring in the logistics, administrative-financial area and in everything related to online shopping and the process involved. Last year was a different year for the commerce sector, but we had increases expressive in the industry,” he says.

According to her, there should be a 20% increase in temporary vacancies at the end of the year in 2021 compared to 2020, with 500 thousand open positions. “It’s a good time for those who are in need of a job. Temporary work is an alternative and an opportunity to get tenure.”

Street and shopping malls still hire

Even with the current difficulties involving the economy, pandemic and uncertainties, Ricardo Patah, president of the Trade Union of São Paulo and UGT (General Union of Workers), says that the end of the year is, traditionally, a time of high sales and recovery of trade, which continues with vacancies open.

He claims that maintaining optimism in the face of the bad economic scenario is a way to make entrepreneurs hire, workers find opportunities and the sector has even the slightest positive movement in the face of so many difficulties in the pandemic.

“First, there is a very interesting characteristic of commerce that does not depend on the history of economic complexity. It is that the merchant, in general, believes a lot in the month of December, when he achieves sales of two and a half to three times the average of the year.”

Since the beginning of the crisis, the union has been working together for vacancies and hiring. In the pandemic, the task force went online and this month still offers 5,000 jobs between temporary and permanent.
“It is a time of opportunity in shopping malls and street stores. There are vacancies in the periphery and in large chains, it is important to know that there are vacancies”, he says.

Social worker Jessica Dias Oliveira, 32, took the chance. From this Monday (13), she starts working every day and goes like this until Christmas. The job came at the craft store where she was already, on a temporary basis, reinforcing her weekend service.

“I was working every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but from the next week until the 24th, I will be working every day.” The professional celebrates the increase in working days because, since the beginning of the pandemic, she has had difficulties in earning income. “I’ll be able to plan to take my first steps for next year and know that I’m going to have a nice Christmas dinner with my family.”

Luís Augusto Ildefonso, institutional director of Alshop (Brazilian Association of Shopping Shopkeepers), says that the association will also make no provision for less with regard to temporary vacancies. Although economic issues are of concern, the repressed demand should make sales in malls recover, according to him, maintaining the need for hiring this year.

“There is a repressed demand, as there are many people with the need to buy something. Another positive factor was the freeing up of the flow of people and the acceleration of the vaccine, which brought greater confidence to business consumers, all of this fueled a contraction of temporary workers much better than last year.”