Brazil introduces "talent database" to spur public service hiring

With slightly under 600,000 civil servants (a figure that has been steadily declining since 2011), the federal government (1) of South America’s largest nation has launched a skills management portal to increase its organisational responsiveness.

SouGOV was created as part of the Brazilian government’s human resource management modernisation programme. Active and retired civil servants can interact with the HR department through a dedicated website and mobile app. To date, 40 different features are available.

For example, the government has been touting its new talent database “SIGEPE Banco de talentos” as a way to match active civil servants with the right job offers and stimulate professional mobility, which has become a must in an increasingly competitive job market.

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Active civil servants can voluntarily enter details about their education and work history. Other useful information (fields of expertise, external qualifications and geographic preferences) can be added as well.

After this information is submitted, the system generates a standardised CV that is saved in a dedicated database, which enables:

• recruitment offices to efficiently narrow down the candidates who meet the specific job requirements of the position and contact them

• registered users to be the first to receive job announcements (before they are posted on the job board) as selected by an algorithm based on the information they provided

As of September 2021, three years after its launch, 100,000 accounts had been created. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretariat for Personnel Management and Performance of the Ministry of Economy (which develops HR policy) has made registration mandatory for all job applicants.

The database has become the ultimate point of contact between departments looking for talent and civil servants seeking new opportunities. However, for the tool to remain effective, jobseekers must make sure to regularly update their online profile.

As evidenced by the numbers, the talent database has helped to optimise the distribution of talent within ministries, institutions and their satellites across Brazil by advertising civil servants’ skills.

¹ Represented by the Union, it exercises sovereign responsibilities and is also in charge of economic development.