Essential in Ukraine’s war, IT professionals gain prominence in Brazil

The number of job openings in the technology area created in Brazil in 2021 was four times greater than those that emerged in 2020. 122,000 new jobs were opened in the area last year, compared to 31,400 formal jobs in 2020

The data are part of a survey carried out by the CNN based on data from the General Register of Employed and Unemployed (CAGED), linked to the Ministry of Economy.

At the top of the ranking of hiring in Brazil is the State of São Paulo, responsible for 54,400 IT jobs — about 40% of all jobs in the country. Next are Minas Gerais (12.3 thousand) and Santa Catarina (10.3 thousand).

in conversation with the CNNthe vice president of the Santa Catarina Technology Association (Acate), Moacir Marafon, explained the relationship between the Covid-19 pandemic and the growth in the number of opportunities for IT professionals.

“The pandemic has further accelerated digital transformation in all sectors of the economy, in addition to providing the massive adoption of the home office and the explosion of online services, increasingly demanding information technology solutions”, he highlighted.

“And it is the professionals in this area who build, improve and support the use of the software. Therefore, the expectation is that the demand for these talents will continue to grow exponentially in the coming years”, explained Moacir Marafon, Vice President of Talents at Acate.

According to experts in digital security heard by the CNNin addition to the pandemic, the war between Russia and Ukraine also reveals the importance of these professional types.

So much so that, last week, the Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, summoned an “army” of IT professionals to help Ukraine on the digital front against Russia.

The Ukrainian minister’s idea is to stop the DDoS attacks, which make some Ukrainian government websites, virtual banks and financial institutions unstable. Russia’s attacks on the Internet against Ukraine were confirmed by the digital security company Symantec, through Twitter.

“We are creating an IT army. We need digital talent. There will be tasks for everyone. We continue to fight on the cyber front. The first task is in the channel for cyber experts,” the minister wrote on social media.

Last week, an apparent cyberattack hit the website of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and one of the country’s largest commercial banks, according to statements by Ukrainian government agencies.

Hours later, however, an update from a Ukrainian government agency reported that two banking websites had resumed normal operation.

“The war we are witnessing happens in a hybrid way. Along with the more classic military invasion with tanks, we now have a cyber invasion. In addition to the destruction of sites, we are seeing energy systems, telecommunications and internet networks severely manipulated in Ukraine to create chaos during the invasion”, said the Coordinator of the Center for Technology and Society at FGV, Luca Belli.

“The population without electricity, access to television and the internet, cannot organize itself. And that makes the Russian invasion much easier. The Russians have state-of-the-art technology and will use everything possible to win the war. Professionals in this technology sector are fundamental in this invasion”, he added.

For the specialist in Technology and Digital Security, Arthur Igreja, the “massive” cyberattacks in Ukraine are not surprising, since Russia is a “fertile territory for hackers”.

He points out that the internet has become a new interface for carrying out a war and that the Russians have become experts in this type of grievance.

“Without a shadow of a doubt, this movement of cyber attacks by Russia is not surprising. It’s a new dimension of warfare, a new interface that goes far beyond tanks, planes and ships. It is currently possible to paralyze even a nation, if you can take down systems that are important,” he explained.