During these times of pandemic and social isolation, have you noticed how many government services are being made available virtually? The gov.br portal, which today hosts more than 4,3 services and information about the activities of all areas of government, already has more than 100 million users registered with their CPF number (Brazilian taxpayer ID).
One of the services offered is the Digital Work Card, the subject of Ricardo Moreira's dissertation, who, in addition to being the Deputy Secretary of Labor at the Ministry of Economy, now also holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from IDP.
Felipe Cruz, a professor at the institution and Ricardo's advisor, explains that digital transformation in public administration "involves the use of digital technologies to bring efficiency to the provision of services, allowing citizens a simple and intuitive experience in their relationship with the government."
In this context, the digitization of services, the simplification of access, and the unification and integration of digital channels emerge as strategies to ensure the satisfaction of users of public services.
Work Permit: before and after
Before the virtual tool, workers needed to present the physical version of their Work Card – the famous little blue book – for the company to finalize their hiring. This book contained all the professional records of a citizen's life. And, to request the document, it was necessary to go to a service center of the Labor Secretariat or the National Employment System (Sine) network and, in about fifteen days, return to receive the document.
"Whereas The country has 5.570 municipalities, and the service network has around 2,8 locations, reaching just over half of the total. Often, workers had to travel from one municipality to another to obtain their work permit.“ explains Ricardo Moreira.
Felipe explains that the main advantage of the digital transformation of services is associated with the efficiency it brings to the provision of public services, focusing on the needs of citizens.
"Access through digital channels facilitates and simplifies the consumption of services, as it reduces the effort required to interact with the government, especially in cases where there is difficulty in traveling to in-person service centers," explains the professor.
From its implementation in September 2019 until March 2021, the The Digital Work Card already had over 323 million accesses and more than 37 million users.The Federal Government initiative, implemented in September 2019, allows any Brazilian or foreigner registered with the CPF (Brazilian taxpayer identification number) to obtain their work permit in a 100% digital format.
The Digital Work Card can be accessed through the Android and iOS app stores, or by downloading it from the portal. gov.br.
Ricardo explains that the implementation of the Digital Work Card allowed for the redirection of the service network to demands that do not yet have digital solutions, and saved budgetary resources in the production and distribution of the paper Work Card. Furthermore, it reduces the average service time for citizens and speeds up access to consolidated labor information in a single environment, enabling workers to monitor their employment relationships.
Professor Felipe highlights the cost reduction in the provision of public services made possible by the gov.br platform, since it "enables governments to be more assertive in allocating staff and optimizing information and communication technology infrastructures," explains the professor.
Facilitates hiring.
In addition to benefits for workers, the project also offers advantages for employers.
"The Digital Work Card exempts employers who use the Digital Bookkeeping of Tax, Social Security and Labor Obligations (eSocial) from registering the employment contract in the paper Work Card and It allows for the hiring of a worker by simply presenting their CPF (Brazilian individual taxpayer registration number) and identification document.“ Ricardo explains.
The eSocial system also eliminates the need for paper records for cases of hiring, terminations, salaries, vacations, leaves, and absences. It also allows for monitoring the worker's employment history, requesting (and appealing, in case of denial) unemployment insurance, and indicates possible discrepancies in the information provided by the employer to the government, automatically incorporating all this data into the Digital Work Card.
Is this the end of the printed work permit?
Although the digital version completely replaces and eliminates the need for the printed Work Card, Ricardo emphasizes that the document is not a requirement for hiring.
In this way, those who do not have easy access to the internet or who prefer the physical version can also be hired by presenting their CPF (Brazilian taxpayer ID) and identification document. If they identify a need, individuals can also go to the service units of the Labor Secretariat or obtain information by calling 158.
Pandemic
Although implemented before the Covid-19 pandemic, in September 2019, the app proved extremely important during the period of social isolation, when worker service centers were closed.
Ricardo states that "the Digital Work Card has become the main channel for accessing Unemployment Insurance since March 2020, when a state of public calamity was declared in Brazil."
“Public services will become increasingly digital, agile, transparent, personalized, and simple,” says Ricardo's advisor optimistically. Based on data and comparisons with other similar initiatives, Felipe Cruz believes that demands regarding the quality of public services are likely to grow.
"The costs of providing services will fall, and the trend is for citizens to become more satisfied and have a relationship with greater trust and credibility in the consumption of public services," concludes the professor.
Learn from the experts!
Felipe Cruz is the professor responsible for Openclass. Digital Government: challenges and strategies in the provision of digital public services..
In this free, online mini-course with a certificate offered by the IDP School of Management, Economics and Business, you will have the opportunity to attend a specific class on the Digital Wallet, led by Ricardo Moreira, one of our alumni! You will also learn more about digital government from other experts in the field.
