Figure 1: Number of Venezuelans relocatedthrough the interiorization programme, by month

Source: Author’s calculation, based on data provided by theMinistry of Citizenship.

Brazil is the fifth largest host of displaced Venezuelans, where over 260,000 Venezuelans refugees, asylum seekersand temporary migrants live as of December 2019 (R4V, 2020). Most entered Brazil through Roraima state,Venezuela's main gateway to Brazil. The Federal Government, with the support of UNHCR, other UN agencies andmore than 100 civil society organizations, provides humanitarian assistance through Operação Acolhida (OperationWelcome). Initiated in April 2018, the operation has three main programmes: border control and documentation;provision of humanitarian assistance including shelter; and “interiorization” which involves the voluntary relocationof Venezuelans from Roraima to other cities in the Federation in order to ensure effective socioeconomic integration.

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Operação Acolhida publishes information that monitors the Venezuelan population. These include data on assistanceprovided through border reception such as social services, regularization requests and the issuance of nationalidentification and work permits.  For humanitarian assistance, sheltering, meals, hygiene kits, activities such asPortuguese classes, basic health care and communication with family members are offered. Related to theinteriorization programme, participation is confined to Venezuelans who have been regularized, certified to be ofgood health, and have signed voluntary participation forms. All the data collected is used to coordinate humanitarianand development assistance as well as the activities of the private sector and civil society to support OperaçãoAcolhida in the local integration of Venezuelans.

This note focuses on understanding the impact of the interiorization programme on the livelihoods and employmentprospects of Venezuelans who have opted to relocate from Roraima state to other federal units between April 2018and December 2019. Brazil's legal framework allows for the inclusion of Venezuelans, regardless of their status, towork and access education and social protection services and so this note uses government administrative records tomonitor the relocated Venezuelan population’s inclusion in Brazil’s labour market, education and social protectionsystems.

Source: Author’s calculation,based on data provided by the Ministry of Citizenship.

Figure 2: Number of Venezuelans relocated through theinteriorization programme, by destination as of Jan 2020

VENEZUELANS IN BRAZIL: INTEGRATION WITH LABOUR MARKET ANDACCESS TO SOCIAL SAFETY NETS

Over 27,000 Venezuelans have voluntarily relocated between April 2018, the start of the programme, and December2019. Relocations have been rising over time and the programme is on track to meet the goal of 3,000 monthlyrelocations on average for 2020 (Figure 1). The programme has four modalities of relocation: (i) departures fromshelters in Roraima to shelters in one of the destination cities (30%); (ii) reunification with family members indestination cities (20%); (iii) assistance from social groups (41%); and (iv) relocating as a result of a confirmed jobplacement (9%).

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INTERIORIZATION PROGRAMME

Venezuelans have relocated to more than 450 municipalities in 25 out of Brazil’s 27 federal units. Most relocationsare clustered in five states: Sao Paulo, Amazonas, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná. Combined, thesestates are hosting more than 70% of the total relocated population (Figure 2).

Source: RAIS (annual data, 2019), OBMIgra/CAGED (monthly estimates, 2020)

Figure 3: Total number of Venezuelansin the formal labour market, by region

Figure 4: Geographic distribution of stock of Venezuelans in formal employment in 2018 (left) and 2019 (right).

Source: RAIS (2018), OBMIgra/CAGED (2020)

Source: Author’s calculation, based on data from the Ministry of Education.

Figure 5: Number of Venezuelan enrolled in school as of Dec 2019

LABOUR MARKET INTEGRATIONVenezuelan refugees and asylum seekers are increasinglyentering the formal labour market. The greatest proportionof those doing so live in the northern, southern andsoutheastern regions of Brazil (Figure 3).

About 72% of Venezuelans in Brazil, or an estimated187,000 of them, are between the working ages of 18-64years old, according to registration records from the federalpolice. Of these, 10% (18,855 individuals) were formallyemployed as of December 2019. Comparatively, 34% ofBrazil's working-age population works in the formal sector.

The geographic dispersion of formally employedVenezuelans evolved significantly between 2018 and 2019.This was due to the interiorization programme as well asthe natural gravitation towards centres of economicopportunity. In 2018, the greatest density of formallyemployed Venezuelans was found in Roraima, followed bynearby Manaus and Sao Paulo. By the end of 2019, thetrend gravitated away from Roraima in favour of Manausand other states in the south and central south of thecountry (Figure 4). Venezuelans are working mainly inservices such as restaurants, coffee shops and snack bars, inaddition to retail trade as well as some industrial and agro-industry sectors such as construction and meat packing.

Combining two data sets – school census attendancerecords and the federal police records for Venezuelanrefugees, asylum seekers and temporary residents inthe country – show that 70% or 46,500 Venezuelanswho are of school age (1-17 years old) are notattending schools. Among children between 6-14years old, the non-attendance rate is 58%. Amongchildren between 15-17 years old, the non-attendancerate is about 69% (Figure 6 on the next page).

In comparison, non-attendance rates for Brazilianstudents, while also not insignificant, are much lowerat 12% for children between 15-17 years old. There isalmost universal attendance of primary and junior highschools among children between 6-14 years old.

ACCESS TO EDUCATIONOver time, more Venezuelans are attending Brazilianprimary and secondary schools, with over 20,000doing so as at the end of 2019. Yet, this represents avery low attendance rate, especially in areas outside ofthe northern region (Figure 5). Together with SaoPaulo in the southeast, the northern states of Roraimaand Amazonas account for 80% of the total number ofVenezuelans enrolled in school.

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Source: Author’s calculation, based on data provided by theMinistry of Citizenship.

Figure 7: Number of Venezuelan beneficiaries of Bolsa Famíliafrom Jan 2017 to Jan 2020

Figure 8: Number of Venezuelan beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família byFederation Unit as of Feb 2020

Source: Author’s calculation, based on data provided by theMinistry of Citizenship.

Source: Author’s calculation, based on data from Ministry ofEducation and Federal Police.

Figure 6: Share of Venezuelans enrolled in school, by level, as of Jan 2020 Venezuelans, regardless of their immigration status,may enroll in Bolsa Família as long as they meet thecriteria. But enrolment does not guarantee access tobenefits, as each municipality operates under a fixedquota. Once the cap of participating families isreached, the benefits cannot be extended to additionalhouseholds, even extremely vulnerable ones.

As of February 2020, 13.5 million householdscomprising 44.5 million individuals – 21% of Brazil'stotal population – received benefits through BolsaFamília. The total amount disbursed is approximatelyR$ 30.6 billion (US$ 6.1 billion) per year, equivalent to0.45% of the national GDP.

Among beneficiary households, 7,178 included at leastone Venezuelan national. In all, 16,707 Venezuelans,representing 6.5% of all Venezuelans in Brazil,benefited from Bolsa Família. This number has risenconsistently since the start of the Venezuelan influx inJanuary 2017 (Figure 7). Most Venezuelanbeneficiaries, over 60% of them, live in the north inRoraima and Amazonas. Another 25% live in SãoPaulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul inthe south (Figure 8).

SOCIAL ASSISTANCEIn Brazil, Bolsa Família (Family Subsistence AllowanceProgramme) is a conditional cash transfer programme thatsupports poor families through income supplements whenthey meet health and education targets. The Ministry ofCitizenship determines households' eligibility usingCadastro Único, a registry that since 2003, is the country'scentral registry for identifying and including poorpopulations in federal programmes. The use of a unifiedregistry allows for data validation and cross-checkingacross municipalities. Bolsa Família has benefited millionsof disadvantaged households living in extreme poverty,with positive impacts on the broader economy. A recentimpact evaluation found that these cash transfers reducepoverty by 15% and extreme poverty by 25%, and furthercontribute to positive outcomes in school attendance andperformance (ENAP, 2018).

The management of Bolsa Família is decentralized, with thefederal government, states and municipalities all havingimplementation roles. At the federal level, the Ministry ofCitizenship is the primary implementing agency while theCaixa Econômica Federal, a government-owned bank,distributes the payments through its vast network.

The payout to eligible households is a function of familycomposition and income. A basic package for an extremelypoor household is R$ 89 (US$ 18) per person per month.Variable benefits of R$ 41 (US$ 8.20) are available tohouseholds with infants (0-6 months), children under 15years old, and pregnant women. These benefits arecontingent on meeting certain goals related to educationalenrolment and use of health services. The total monthlypayment averages about R$ 170 (US$ 34) per family.

Source: Author’s calculation, based on data provided by theMinistry of Citizenship.

Figure 9: Percentage of population (Venezuelan and Brazilian)subscribed to Cadastro Único by income distribution as of Feb 2020

Cadastro Único enrolment records show that the Braziliannational population and Venezuelan population in Brazilhave similar proportions of extremely poor and poorhouseholds (Figure 9). However, 21% of Brazilians accessBolsa Família while only 6.5% of Venezuelans do. As bothpopulations have similar proportions of poor households,the difference in utilization rate is likely due to reasonsother than income. Probable reasons include inability toenroll due to misinformation, language barriers, expireddocumentation, not meeting the qualifying criteria, or livingin municipalities that have met their quotas.

Another social assistance programme, the Beneficio dePrestação Continuada  (Continued Allowance BenefitProgramme), separately provides minimum-wage incomesto elderly and disabled persons who have no means ofearning incomes or family support. While there are no legalbarriers to accessing this programme, there are practicalimpediments. For instance, the Brazilian Supreme FederalCourt had to endorse the access rights for both nationalsand non-nationals, even though the Constitutionestablishes isonomy (equality before the law). As ofFebruary 2020, 4.5 million people were receiving thisbenefit, including 309 Venezuelans. More analysis is neededto identify reasons for the low participation rate amongVenezuelans.

Refugees and asylum seekers are increasingly enteringthe formal labour market in the southern andsoutheastern regions of Brazil, contributing to theireconomic inclusion and better prospects of achievingself-reliance. This also generates growth and taxrevenue for local economy. Further, as moreVenezuelans are formally employed, this reduces thepressure on social safety net programmes in Roraima,which is the aim of the interiorization programme.

Data on school attendance shows that a high numberof Venezuelans are not attending schools: 58% amongthose aged 6-14 and 69% among those aged 15-17. Incontrast, 12% of Brazilian children aged 15-17 do notattend school and attendance is almost universalamong those aged 6-14. Policies, development andhumanitarian action should focus on increasingeducation enrolment, which impacts the formation ofhuman capital essential to building self-resilience andsustainable livelihoods for future generations.

Venezuelans are increasingly benefiting from Brazil’ssocial assistance schemes. Venezuelan householdparticipation rates in Bolsa Família, while lowcompared to Brazilian nationals, is on an upwardtrend. But participation among poor Venezuelans inBeneficio de Prestação Continuada is very low. Possiblereasons are their reduced ability to obtain informationabout services, lack of or missing documentation, andlanguage barriers that may also further compoundthese accessibility issues. Further analysis is needed tobetter comprehend and mitigate the reasons.

SUMMARY ANDRECOMMENDATIONSThe analysis of official data related to the formal labourmarket as well as the education and social protectionsystems suggests that the interiorization programmeshould be reinforced as it has contributed to the integrationof Venezuelans in Brazil, albeit to varying degrees.

At the same time, it is necessary to continue monitoring therelocations and create new tools, if needed, to evaluate theimpact on both Venezuelans and the local community. Asthe programme meets its goal of 3,000 monthly relocations,there may be reduced capacity of states and civil societygroups to absorb the growing number of new entrants.

1. More than 4.5 million Venezuelans are estimated to haveleft their country as of December 2019.

2. In April 2018, UNHCR and the International MigrationOrganization (IOM) created the Regional Response Plan forRefugees and Migrants, an operational plan with acoordination strategy to respond to the needs ofVenezuelans on the move and to guarantee their social andeconomic inclusion in the communities that receive them.

3. Shelters are housing provided either directly by thefederal, state, district or municipal government or by civilsociety.

Bolsa Família 15 Anos (2003-2018), Org. Tiago Falcão, 531pages. Brasilia. (ENAP, 2018).

R4V Plataforma de Coordinación para Refugiados y Migrantesde Venezuela. Accessed on 20  April 2020 viahttps://r4v.info/es/situations/platform/location/7509

Footnotes

Bibliography

4. Another common way of estimating the percentage ofchildren aged 15 to 17 years that are out of school is usingthe National Continuous Household Survey (PNADContinua), which puts the rate at 6.1%. However, thisestimate was not used in this report as it does not accountfor migratory status, and is thus  not comparable with theVenezuelan population.