The Paucity of Black Leaders in the Brazilian Job Market

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This blog post is a translation and adaptation of the original article titled “Onde estão as lideranças negras no mercado de trabalho?” written by Juliane Sousa, Quilombola Journalist and Communications and Marketing Manager at Sistema B Brasil.


We must commit to driving transformation that leads to the development of robust, inclusive policies for the advancement of Black professionals in their careers. The first step in this endeavor is taking a deep dive into racism and diversity in Brazil.

It’s not breaking news that Brazil is a country marked by deep inequality. Disparities traverse all facets of life, including the job market. A survey conducted by Indique Uma Preta and Cloo titled “Leaders in the Making: Why Black career trajectories are so secluded,” highlights this reality. While Black individuals make up the numerical majority of Brazil’s population at 55.8%, only 33.3% hold formal employment.

It’s crucial to reflect on why Black communities have always had to fight so hard to enjoy fundamental rights, such as housing, education, sustenance, healthcare, and employment. This fight becomes even more intense when we look at corporate leadership. The “Leaders in the Making” survey reveals a paucity of Black professionals in company leadership positions. Among Brazil’s 500 largest companies, less than 5% of us occupy executive and managerial roles. For Black women, the divide is even greater—while they hold only 31% of managerial roles, the remaining 69.9% are occupied by white women. Additionally, a mere 8% of respondents who identify as Black are in leadership roles within their current companies.

Trouble on the Homefront
Brazil is as diverse as it is unequal. Despite the vibrant radiance of its diversity—encompassing many social categories such as race, gender, origin, culture, and sexual orientation—societal forces often conspire to tarnish its sheen. These forces manifest in the form of exclusionary structures that constantly block the upward mobility of Black professionals into corporate leadership. Those fortunate enough to overcome are often left in a vacuum with no support mechanisms for their retention in these roles.

The survey shows that these exclusionary barriers begin forming early in life, directly impacting employment prospects down the line. For example, illiteracy rates among Black individuals aged 15 and older are at 9.1%, compared to 3.9% for their white counterparts.

Racial quota legislation has led to an astounding 205% increase in Black students enrolled in colleges and universities, yet the story is far from over. Only 21.1% of Black respondents make it to commencement, and a mere 0.7% pursue graduate studies. For English-language proficiency, an essential skill that opens many professional doors, 7% of respondents claimed fluency. 3% of them are Black.

Survey responses further highlight a bevy of social barriers that reflect the conspiration of systemic forces we know all too well. Among the most cited are discrimination, corporate inertia, underrecognition, a lack of social capital, and the challenge of balancing work, home, and education. Things only snowball from there, making it more difficult for Black professionals to get ahead. The resulting cognitive overload and perfectionist pressures create fertile ground for stress and burnout.

When asked about the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in their companies, 44% of respondents said they were unaware of any actions taken. The lack of growth opportunities often leads to psychological insecurity among Black professionals. Without robust governance policies and a genuine commitment to inclusion from leadership, teams will only be stricken by exhaustion, instability, and high attrition rates. And as the saying goes: when other folks catch a cold, Black folks catch pneumonia.

Strategies for Inclusion, Development, and Transformation
Diversity and inclusion have become mainstream topics for companies in recent years, and it’s increasingly common to see hiring initiatives explicitly aimed at Black professionals. While we lift up those practices, it’s important to recognize that achieving real solutions requires actively listening to Black professionals as they share their experiences and perspectives.

There are a few fundamental principles to keep in mind when prioritizing career development for Black professionals:
Intentionality in promotions
Clear, consistent, and empathetic feedback
Active leadership participation
Workforce and cross-skills training
Structured career trajectory plans with pathways to upward mobility

Strategic communication about affirmative action also plays a key role in inspiring shifts in mindset across the job market and fostering long-term transformation.

The effective inclusion of Black professionals empowers them to thrive as leaders, both in business and in politics. At Sistema B Brasil, we champion antiracist affirmative actions. A key part of our initiative is grounding ourselves as a team in antiracist inquiry and praxis, which encourages a more proactive approach to identifying new talent and creating a diverse and innovative work environment. These efforts then ripple outward, positively impacting many more individuals and communities.

Furthermore, we’ve established our Pretas B collective, where more than 100 Black women from across Brazil’s B Global Network come together to share experiences. The collective includes executives, team members of Certified B Corporations, and B Multiplier participants. As a space of heightened solidarity, Pretas B catalyzes professional development and incubates essential conversations that promote affirmative actions around racial and gender equity within Sistema B Brasil.

We must commit to driving transformation that leads to the development of robust, inclusive policies for the advancement of Black professionals in their careers. The first step in this endeavor is taking a deep dive into racism and diversity in Brazil. Through this exploration, we’ll encounter many social markers and powerful narratives that can confront the inequalities in the job market. Taking deliberate, meaningful action will be what transforms this reality.


The “Leaders in the Making” survey (originally titled “Lideranças em construção: por que a trajetória de profissionais negros é tão solitária?”) engaged over 2,000 respondents from various racial backgrounds and regions across Brazil. Indique Uma Preta is a consulting firm specializing in diversity and inclusion. Cloo is a research and behavioral insights unit.

Jeffrey D. Stewart

Jeffrey D. Stewart is the Founder and Executive Director of Enharmonic Encounters LLC, a small, Black-owned business that builds bridges toward a more unified world through expansive expertise in world languages, conscious cross-cultural communication, and positive social and environmental impact consulting toward B Certification. Partnerships result in faithfully reporting on social and environmental stewardship while also reaching stakeholders on a more global scale.

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