Saquarema posts record formal employment and celebrates 12,000 scholarship graduations

The municipality of Saquarema, Brazil, announced that it has recorded a fifth consecutive month of record formal jobs, with 16,979 positions in June 2026 – a 10% increase over the same period a year earlier. Most of the new jobs are in services (10,022), followed by commerce (4,157) and industry (1,742). Mayor Lucimar Vidal credited municipal initiatives such as the Emprega Saquá job platform and the Mei de Saquá digital marketplace for the growth.

At the same time, the city’s Conexão Universitária (Couni) program marked the graduation of its first cohort, having awarded more than 12,000 full‑scholarship places to local residents since its launch. One graduate, 25‑year‑old Patrícia de Oliveira, completed a nutrition degree at the University of Vassouras, citing the scholarship and free university transport buses as key to her success. The program, funded by oil‑royalty revenue, also provides free bus service to universities in Saquarema and nearby cities.