Hiring in Brazil is hard, and employers say so loudly. And while this is true, it is important to understand the challenge is not generalized, but specific to certain ages, regions and, for the purposed of this article, skills.
In ManpowerGroup's 2026 survey, 80% of Brazilian employers report difficulty finding talent, against 72% worldwide. The figure stood at 80% in 2023 as well, and it reaches 90% among firms with 1,000 to 4,999 employees.¹
Companies answer by training: 44% name upskilling and reskilling as their main response, against 27% worldwide.¹ It is probably the first time that AI-related skills sit at the top of the scarce hard skills list¹, which is reinforced by PwC's 2026 AI Jobs Barometer showing that job postings that require AI skills nearly tripled in Brazil in 2025, from 63,000 to 182,000, or from 1.1% to 3.6% of all postings.²
Where leadership stays thin, company performance, people’s careers and the wider economy pay the price.
The sharper gap, however, may sit with the people who lead. The “Panorama Liderança 2026” survey, comissioned by the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham) in Brazil in partnership with Humanized, reached out to 662 executives in Brazil. Asked about their greatest difficulty, 42% named turning strategy into an action plan, while only 21% see their leaders as drivers of results. Of the respondents, 48% say their leaders deliver mediocre results in the short term and 43% in the long term. Eight in ten C-level respondents believe their leadership teams are not capable of driving company performance.
The consequences are most concerning.⁴ There is no P&L line called “poor leadership”, which I suppose is why this has been going on silently for years, but let’s spin it a little:
1) How much of the country’s growth is hampered by our leaders’ inability to mobilize or engage people effectively?
2) How many people lose their jobs in mass layoffs because people at the top are unable to translate strategy into action?
3) Would you invest in an economy in which most of its leaders deliver inconsistent, mediocre results?
In my experience, the Amcham survey is right: human skills are the consistent gap and it shows consistently in my daily work with leaders. Where leadership stays thin, company performance, people's careers and the wider economy pay the price.
That is why I believe we have moved beyond the discussion of whether or not a leadership blackout in Brazil is a possibility. For leaders around the globe, we are a cautionary tale of what happens when corporate culture systemically refuses to put the budget behind people who lead others.
So, please, do it. And start long before the promotion.
Thiago Prado is a senior executive and advisor. He is a partner at Mandelli Consulting, a specialized leadership advisory firm in São Paulo. He is also a seasoned leadership coach, founder of Caranduva, and an Autoris Assessment Certified Practitioner (AACP). In The Times of Talent, he covers leadership and talent development in Brazil.
¹ ManpowerGroup. (2026). Pesquisa de escassez de talentos 2026. ManpowerGroup Brasil. https://www.manpowergroup.com.br/insights/estudos/pesquisa-de-escassez-de-talentos-2026
² PwC. (2026). Barômetro de empregos de IA 2026. PwC Brasil. https://www.pwc.com.br/pt/estudos/servicos/consultoria-negocios/2026/barometro-de-empregos-de-ia-2026.html
³ Thoughtworks. (2026). Beyond the bottom line: Brazil. Global CIO Survey. https://www.thoughtworks.com/content/dam/thoughtworks/documents/report/beyond_the_bottom_line_brazil.pdf
⁴ Amcham Brasil & Humanizadas. (2026). Panorama Liderança 2026. As reported by Valor International. https://valorinternational.globo.com/business/news/2026/06/02/mid-level-leaders-a-barrier-to-turning-strategy-into-action.ghtml
⁵ IEL & ABRH Brasil. (2026). IEL e ABRH Brasil firmam parceria para fortalecer lideranças e preparar empresas para o futuro. Portal da Indústria. https://imprensa.portaldaindustria.com.br/releases/iel-e-abrh-brasil-firmam-parceria-para-fortalecer-liderancas-e-preparar-empresas-para-o-futuro/