CENSUS FOR DIVERSITY

From August to October 2008, all employees in Petrobras Holding were invited to participate in the Petrobras Census for Diversity. Through this census, the company could collect information to map the profile of its human and cultural diversity. The Census is aligned with the guidelines set in the Social Responsibility Policy and the Strategic Plan 2020. Previously, in 2004, only a brief survey on employee color/race and disability had been undertaken.

The information about diversity is crucial for the future planning of policies, affirmative actions and other initiatives for the continuous promotion of equality and combating discrimination. The results will also help to answer several indicators of social responsibility and human resources in the questionnaire of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI), the social balance model of the Brazilian Institute of Social and Economic Analyses (Ibase), The Annual Information and Wage List (Employees) of the Ministry of Labor and Employment (Rais) and the For Gender Equality Program of the Federal Government’s Bureau of Policies for Women .

The Census questionnaire was prepared according to the standards of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and had 29 objective questions about socio-demographic characteristics: gender, age, schooling, color/race, household, religion, disability, community activity, etc. In addition to the information obtained directly, several cross-references were applied to allow the data to be examined more deeply.

Although participation in the Census was not mandatory, 61.39% of the 51,707 employees in the company in August 2008 answered the questionnaire, totaling 31,745 respondents. The absolute majority consisted of men (82%), 17% were women. More than half (55%) were in the 30-49 age group.

With regard to nationality, 99% were born in Brazil from all states. The foreign employees include 20% born in Portugal and 5% in the USA. Other countries were homogeneously represented.

The employees of Petrobras are predominantly white in color/race (64%), but there are a larger percentage of african descent (34%). Two percent said they were of asian descent and 15 said they were indigenous. In the sample there were slightly more white female employees (68%) than male employees (63%). And, on the other hand, slightly more african descent male employees (34%) than female employees (29%).

Almost all employees (96%) stated that they are physically fit to work, study and perform physical activities. Only 3% stated that they had a permanent disability.

The percentage of employees who are the heads of households is 84%. The men are in the majority (89%), but there are also a large number of women who have this responsibility (64%). In Brazil, women are at the head of 33% of the households (National Household Sample Survey – PNAD, 2007). In the case of Petrobras this profile may be the result of the number of single (32%) and divorced/separated women (13%).

Petrobras was not the first job for the large majority of employees (82%). In terms of the level of education, more asian descent employees have completed university education (36%). African descents and indigenous are predominant among the 32% of those answering that concluded high school. The white and asian descent respondents were the least that interrupted their studies in this school period (26% and 20%, respectively).

Most employees consider themselves religious: 66% profess a specific religion, while 22% state that they are religious but without any defined belief. Eleven percent of those answering are atheists.

The table below compares the Brazilian Population Census of 2000 with the Petrobras Census for Diversity.

caption da tabela
COLOR/Race Brazil (2000) Petrobras (2008)

(*) Equal to 0.44 or less
White 54% 64%
African descent (Black and mixed racial origins) 44% 34%
Mixed racial origins 38% 28%
Black 6% 6%
Asian descent (*) (*)
Indigenous (*) (*)
Base 169.799.170 31.745