Brasíliaruns on a handful of strong industries. If you’re job-hunting or weighing a move, here’s where the opportunities (and the big-name employers) are.
Top industries & employers
Federal government & regulation
Ministries, Congress, STF, ANVISA, ANATEL, ANEEL, ANP, ANAC
Every Brazilian federal ministry, the Supreme Court and almost every sectoral regulator sits inside a few kilometres of the Esplanada. Regulatory decisions for the whole country are taken here, which is why so many industries maintain an office they would otherwise not need.
Diplomacy & international organisations
130+ embassies, UN agencies, IDB, World Bank, Itamaraty
The Setor de Embaixadas Norte and Sul hold one of the largest concentrations of diplomatic missions anywhere. For a foreign resident this cuts both ways: a genuine employment market, and the convenience of your own consulate being local for apostilles and document services.
Banking & financial supervision
Banco Central do Brasil, Banco do Brasil, Caixa Econômica Federal
Uniquely in Brazil, the central bank and the two largest state-owned banks are all headquartered in Brasília rather than São Paulo — a sizeable and stable professional employer entirely separate from the ministries.
Law, lobbying & public affairs
National law firms, industry confederations, consultancies
An entire professional sector exists to interpret and influence what happens on the Esplanada, from constitutional litigation before the Supreme Court to regulatory affairs work for pharmaceutical, energy and telecom clients.
Agricultural research & science
Embrapa, UnB, Fiocruz Brasília, CNPq
Embrapa is headquartered here, and its cerrado research is the reason central Brazil became farmland at all — arguably the most globally consequential thing this city has produced besides its architecture.
Construction & real estate
Developers in Noroeste, Águas Claras and the Lago sectors
The Plano Piloto is frozen by heritage listing, so all growth happens at the edges. Noroeste, Águas Claras and the expanding administrative regions are where the cranes are, and construction is a major employer across the Federal District.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.