Brazil: Formal jobs up 0.15% in March

Brazil’s formal employment hiked in March; an increase of 56,151 job posts was observed (up 0.15% from February), according to data from the General Register of the Employed and Unemployed (CAGED), released Friday (Apr. 20) by the Ministry of Labor.

This is the third consecutive month on the rise, despite the slower pace if compared with January (77,822) and February (61,188). The figure comes following 1.340 million admissions and 1.284 million dismissals.

The statistics also shows that the outcome for March was the best for the month since 2013’s balance of 112,450 jobs.

Year-to-date, the expansion amounted to 204,064 jobs, up 0.54%. March-on-March, the amount added up to 223,367 openings, an increase of 0.59%.

Employment grew in six of eight economic sectors: services (57,384), manufacturing industry (10,450), construction (7,728), public administration (3,660), mining (360), and industrial services of public interest (274).

Negative figures were reported for agriculture (17,827) and trade (5,878).

Employment grew in six of eight economic sectors, services among them. - EBC

Labor reform

In effect since November 2017, the labor reform has changed Brazil’s labor market. Among the novelties are dismissals following agreements between worker and employer. In March 2018, 13,522 terminations were reported in 9.775 businesses after employer–employee deals were reached.

The figures also show that the so-called intermittent work, also introduced as part of the overhaul, saw 4,002 admissions and 803 layoffs, posting a balance of 3,199 jobs in March. Among the main occupations in this mode of work are construction assistants (202 jobs), field workers (167), and cleaners (141).

Under intermittent work, workers are paid according to the amount of hours or days of work. Contracts must include details like how much pay an hour is worth, which must not be inferior to the hourly equivalent of the minimum wage or the pay of other workers in the same job. Employees may work for other employers when idle and must be called to work at least three days in advance.