With projected growth, the Bahian industry needs workers to keep up with the technological and productive pace

Three years from now, most of the skills that are currently required to employ industrial workers will not be enough to keep them in the job market. That is why, according to the Industrial Work Map, Bahia will need to qualify 574 thousand professionals by 2027. The projection is the result of a survey carried out by the National Industry Observatory (ONI) of the National Industry Confederation (CNI), which subsidizes the supply planning actions of the National Industrial Learning Service (Senai).

According to Senai, there will be a need to train 97 thousand new professionals and requalify 477 thousand who are already on the market. The demand arises as a result of the pace of job creation and the replacement of workers who will leave the formal job market. Between 2025 and 2027, the expectation is that 609 thousand new vacancies will be created in the industrial sector and in occupations related to industry in other sectors.

With regard to requalification, the area’s demand for new skills prevails. “Transitive processes are changing and industries are modernizing. As a result, new processes are emerging and we need to requalify ourselves. We identified that those who are already in the market need to learn new tasks – because the industry can automate the production process –, as well as be prepared for issues of work safety and increased productivity”, says Patrícia Evangelista, executive superintendent of Professional Education at Senai Bahia .

The Industrial Work Map was prepared taking into account the projection of formal employment until 2027, the volume of formal employment projected for the industry as a whole and the estimated demand for industrial training – the latter was obtained based on the structure of formal employment designed and in need of professional training. According to the survey, the industry shows a stable trajectory, with prospects of remaining at around 2.0% until 2027.

For economist and financial educator Edisio Freire, although it is difficult to specify Bahia’s economic scenario in the coming years, it is possible to see that the indicators point to an increase in job creation. “Especially in industries, there is a need for a workforce due to a natural situation in the economy”, he emphasizes.

“As we emerge from the pandemic scenario and there is an economic recovery, this generates the return of jobs. Furthermore, the number of professionals who have recently left universities and seek to specialize encourages the job market”, analyzes the specialist.

The 574 thousand industrial professionals who will need to go through the qualification process will have to develop or update technical skills, such as mastery of machines, equipment and software (hard skills), behavioral skills such as critical thinking, emotional intelligence, creativity and innovation (soft skills) and occupational health and safety actions, such as inspection of facilities, rules and regulations.

According to Vitor Igdal, president of the Brazilian Association of Human Resources in Bahia (ABRH-BA), the development of soft skills reflects a behavioral change in the market. “There was an increase in awareness about the intangible importance of developing a more positive emotional climate and enhancing employee engagement. In fact, it is proven that for every 5% increase in engagement within the work environment, there is a proportional increase of 3% in revenue”, he highlights.

Patrícia Evangelista states that technical skills, also called hard skills, are important for professionals to adapt to the new demands of the industry. “We have a huge focus on training people who have high productivity in companies. This moment of requalification is the moment to mold professionals to new processes, procedures and technologies, as well as the demands of integration and automation”, he points out.

According to Senai, to put into practice the qualification of professionals in the industrial area of ​​Bahia by 2027, the current portfolio of workers will first be evaluated and only then can adaptation be made to the demands of the segment. The entity said that companies will be heard and, by consensus, a plan will be drawn up to enable the offering of courses and training programs.

The Secretariat of Labor, Employment, Income and Sport (Setre) said that it understands professional training as a fundamental right and public policy to adapt the demands of the world of work, society and the state’s large public and private investments. For this reason, he highlighted that he runs the Qualifica Bahia Professional Qualification Program, which offers courses according to demand identification.

The ministry said that there is a prospect of opening 150 places for the BYD Qualification Course by the beginning of 2025, in partnership with Senai. Qualifica PAC Transmission Lines is another course that will offer professional qualifications for work in the implementation of transmission lines in the municipalities of Irecê, Jequié, Juazeiro, Teixeira de Freitas and Vitória da Conquista, and aims to reach 600 people interested in a career as an industrial electrician .

Finally, Setre reported that the Manuel Querino Program foresees an investment of more than R$22 million for the period 2024-2026, in the training of more than 17 thousand workers in 205 municipalities, covering the 27 Identity Territories of Bahia.

The Secretariat for Economic Development (SDE) was contacted to inform the action plan to meet the demand for qualification of professionals in the industry in Bahia until 2027, but did not respond to the report.