When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

You've reach your limit of free articles.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime.

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Ad-free experience NEW

Exclusive international news coverage

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Monthly Access

30-day free trial, then $2.90 per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
Sources

For Some Europeans, Latin America Is Once Again A Land Of Opportunity

In the early 20th century, European migrants headed in droves to Latin America in search of work and to escape wars and poverty. A century later, the ongoing euro zone crisis is prompting a new generation of Europeans to set out across the Atlantic.

For Some Europeans, Latin America Is Once Again A Land Of Opportunity
María Enrile

SANTIAGO - We know the 20th century storyline well: European migrants crammed into ships headed for South America's principal cities, eager to leave the impoverished, war-stricken continent behind. On a different scale, and in a very different way, history is repeating itself as business executives from Europe are increasingly choosing to test their luck in Latin America and, in doing so, put some distance between themselves and the current economic crisis complicating matters back in the "Old World."

Clearly, this 21st century migration is of a very different nature. Unlike the "huddling masses' of yesteryear, today's European migrants are shirt-and-tie-wearing executives who come equipped with postgraduate degrees and speak two or three languages. And yet in one basic regard, people like André Da Costa Bernal - a Portuguese ex-pat who works for a consulting firm called Vivo - are seeking the same thing the last wave of European migrants did: better job prospects. "The big difference now is that I earn much more than I did in Lisbon," he says.

Others see a stint in Latin America as a curriculum booster that will hopefully serve them later, when - and if - they return to their countries of origin. "If I went back to Spain I'd probably end up working in a department where I'd be in charge of dealings with Latin America," says Pablo Fernández de Castro, director of the consulting firm Development Systems in Brazil. "Once you leave your country, it's difficult to separate yourself from the international experience you've had."

In Fernández de Castro's case, the international experience he's gained on this side of the ocean has already helped him advance. The Spaniard originally found work in Chile. From there he moved to São Paulo, where with his current job he has 15 people working under him.

Right now the European market is saturated with professionals. There are few available posts and competition is fierce. "In Latin America it's the opposite situation," says Roberto Machado, a regional manager with Michael Page, a recruitment firm. "Here there are plenty of jobs and not enough qualified executives to fill them."

Statistics compiled by Michael Page suggest that the top Latin American destinations for European professionals are Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Argentina.

Barriers to entry

According to Machado, a Brazilian, approximately 95% of the multinational companies Michael Page is in contact with are expanding into Latin America and Asia. Emerging countries like Brazil, in other words, are now an investment priority for these companies. That, in turn, impacts labor demand, lowering unemployment and pushing up salaries. "Companies are in urgent need of people with the right training and education," he says.

Like the previous century's European immigrants, this new wave faces certain cultural hurdles that come with adjusting to life across the ocean. Even people who speak the language – as is the case for Portuguese in Brazil and Spaniards in most of the other Latin America countries – can find the experience challenging. Upon arriving in Brazil, André Da Costa Bernal was struck by how "superficial" people there are. "It's difficult to keep up a conversation about anything other than dieting or going to the gym," he says. "It's the same whether you're talking to men or women."

Although they try to integrate, executives from Europe often end up forming groups of friends with other foreigners. Europeans say they are initially received with a warm welcome, but that relationships with locals tend to cool off quickly and can in fact be stressful.

Moving abroad can also include a fair share of logistical problems. In most Latin American countries, tourist visas last just three months, meaning immigrants must act quickly to acquire working and residence papers. That usually requires the sponsorship of a particular employer, meaning the immigrant ends up relying on that company in order to remain legal in the country.

But even with all the hassle and cultural barriers, Fernández de Castro of Spain isn't considering going home, at least not yet. "My experience tells me that those who go back tend to end up worse off," he says.

Read more from AméricaEconomía in Spanish

Photo - jorpcolombia2007

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Society

Italy's Right-Wing Government Turns Up The Heat On 'Gastronationalism'

Rome has been strongly opposed to synthetic foods, insect-based flours and health warnings on alcohol, and aggressive lobbying by Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government against nutritional labeling has prompted accusations in Brussels of "gastronationalism."

Dough is run through a press to make pasta

Creation of home made pasta

Karl De Meyer et Olivier Tosseri

ROME — On March 23, the Italian Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Francesco Lollobrigida, announced that Rome would ask UNESCO to recognize Italian cuisine as a piece of intangible cultural heritage.

On March 28, Lollobrigida, who is also Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's brother-in-law, promised that Italy would ban the production, import and marketing of food made in labs, especially artificial meat — despite the fact that there is still no official request to market it in Europe.

Days later, Italian Eurodeputy Alessandra Mussolini, granddaughter of fascist leader Benito Mussolini and member of the Forza Italia party, which is part of the governing coalition in Rome, caused a sensation in the European Parliament. On the sidelines of the plenary session, Sophia Loren's niece organized a wine tasting, under the slogan "In Vino Veritas," to show her strong opposition (and that of her government) to an Irish proposal to put health warnings on alcohol bottles. At the end of the press conference, around 11am, she showed her determination by drinking from the neck of a bottle of wine, to great applause.

Keep reading...Show less

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

You've reach your limit of free articles.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime.

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Ad-free experience NEW

Exclusive international news coverage

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Monthly Access

30-day free trial, then $2.90 per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch

The latest