The unemployed population fell to 7.3 million, the lowest number of people seeking work since January 2015; the total number of workers in Brazil reached a new record, reaching 102.5 million.
The unemployment rate in Brazil dropped to 6.6% in the quarter from June to August 2024, a decrease of 0.5 percentage points compared to the quarter from March to May 2024 when the rate was 7.1%, according to data from the Continuous PNAD (National Continuous Household Sample Survey) released on Friday (27) by IBGE.
The rate marked again the lowest level for the period since the beginning of the government series in 2012,
Compared to the same moving quarter of 2023 (7.8%), the unemployment rate dropped by 1.2 percentage points.
According to the survey, the unemployed population fell to 7.3 million, the lowest number of people seeking work since the quarter ended in January 2015.
This group showed significant reductions in both comparisons: in the quarter, the unemployed population decreased by -6.5%, which means 502,000 fewer people looking for work. Compared to the same moving quarter of 2023, the reduction was more intense at -13.4%, or 1.1 million fewer people looking for employment.
The total number of workers in Brazil reached a new record, reaching 102.5 million.
In the quarterly comparison, the country’s employed population grew by 1.2%, adding 1.2 million workers. Compared to the same moving quarter of the previous year, this contingent grew by 2.9%, equivalent to an additional 2.9 million people.
According to Adriana Beringuy, coordinator of household surveys at IBGE, “the low unemployment reflects the expansion of demand for workers in various economic activities, leading the unemployment rate to values close to those of 2013 when this indicator was at its lowest level.”
Earnings
In the quarter ended in August, the average real income of employed persons was R$3,228, with no statistically significant variation compared to the previous moving quarter but with an increase of 5.1% compared to the same moving quarter of 2023.
The total income, which is the sum of all workers’ earnings, reached R$326.2 billion, showing increases of 1.7% in the quarter and 8.3% on an annual basis.
Private sector
Private sector employees reached 52.9 million, the largest contingent in the series. In one quarter, sector employment grew by 1.7%, equivalent to 882,000 new jobs. Compared to the previous year, the increase was 4.9%, or 2.5 million more workers in the sector.
Once again, the private sector set records in the number of employees with formal employment contracts (38.6 million) and in the contingent of those without formal employment contracts (13.2 million).
In the quarter, the Trade sector was the group of economic activity that drove employment, with a 1.9% increase in the quarter, or 368,000 new workers for the country’s employed population.
The sector has its largest contingent in the historical series of PNAD Continuous: 19.5 million workers. The other economic activity groups did not have significant variations in the quarterly comparison.
Public sector
Public sector employees reached a record 12.8 million, with increases of 1.8% (221,000 more people) in the quarter and 4.3% (523,000 more people) annually.
This increase has been driven by the group of employees without formal contracts, which grew by 4.5% in the quarter and 6.6% annually, while the group of military and statutory employees, who need to pass public service exams, remained stable in both comparisons.
“Although it is not their largest contingent, the group of employees without formal contracts in the public sector is the one that has contributed the most to the expansion of the total number of employees in this segment.
These workers are neither statutory nor considered workers with formal contracts, as per CLT (Consolidation of Labor Laws).
They have a greater predominance in elementary education, which is provided by municipalities in municipal schools. They are temporary contracts, often governed by specific laws,” explained Adriana.
