Since 2002, the United States has held the lead in the ranking of destination countries for Brazilian exports in terms of the number of companies.
The United States has established itself as the main destination for Brazilian industrial products, with 9,553 exporting companies in 2023, the highest figure in 200 years of relations between the two countries.
This is the conclusion of the study "Brazil-United States: Foreign Trade Highlights," conducted by the Secretariat of Foreign Trade of the Government of Brazil and Amcham Brazil, which reveals that companies that export to the United States pay better salaries and employ more women.
In 2023, Brazilian manufacturing exports to the US reached US$29.9 billion, standing out as the main market for that category of products.
Since 2002, the United States has held the lead in the ranking of destination countries for Brazilian exports in terms of the number of companies.
The only economic bloc that surpasses the US in this respect is Mercosur, due to the free trade established in the region, which has 11,253 exporting companies. Other regions analysed in the study are the European Union, with 8,496 Brazilian companies exporting there, and China, with 2,847.
"It is important to note that the United States remains the largest market for Brazilian high-tech products," said Tatiana Prazeres, Brazil's foreign trade secretary, during the presentation of the study.
Products such as aircraft, engines, telecommunications equipment, medicines and equipment, medical products are the main export items in this category.
For Abrão Neto, CEO of Amcham, strengthening this bilateral relationship should be a priority on Brazil's foreign agenda, with significant support from the business sector.
"This path offers enormous potential to boost Brazil's growth, promoting greater participation of the industry in foreign trade and in the country's GDP," Neto said.
IMPACT ON THE LABOR MARKET AND GENDER
Companies that export tend to offer more qualified and better-paid jobs. In the case of companies that export to the United States, these benefits are even more pronounced. In 2021, the average monthly remuneration of workers in these companies was 4,623 reais (US$ 838.4), 5.4% higher than those that sell to the European Union, 8.5% compared to China and 11.2% to Mercosur.
The study also reveals that 26.4% of companies that trade with the United States have 50% or more women in their workforce, the highest proportion compared to the European Union (23.9%), Mercosur (18.3%) and China (14.6%). The average salary of women in these companies is also higher than in other trading partners.
The study highlights the growing importance of the United States as a trading partner for Brazil, especially in the context of high-tech exports and the promotion of gender equality in the labor market.
With the support of the business sector and strategic leadership from the government, the Brazil-United States bilateral relationship promises to continue to strengthen, generating significant economic and social benefits for both countries.
