INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS AND INCOME TRANSFER PROGRAMS IN BRAZIL: an analysis based on a group of Haitians living in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba, 2015-2023

Abstract

The article analyzes the relationship between international migrants, the labor market, and cash transfer programs, based on a case study of a group of Haitian migrants living in Curitiba and its Metropolitan Region (Paraná, Brazil). It begins by presenting the context of Haitian migration to Brazil, with a focus on the state of Paraná and on Curitiba and its surrounding metropolitan area, as well as recent developments in the Brazilian economy. It then examines the recent evolution of the labor market in Paraná for the Haitian migrant population, highlighting the relationship between the contraction in job opportunities and the rise in migrants assisted by cash transfer programs, especially the Bolsa Família program. Drawing on interviews with a group of nine Haitian migrants, the article analyzes specific aspects of the broader relationship between employment and income transfer programs. In conclusion, it argues that the increase in migrant beneficiaries of cash transfer programs results both from a gradual improvement in their knowledge of Brazil’s social protection system and from the contraction of the labor market, constituting an additional element in the process of socioeconomic integration.