Q2 unemployment rate hits peak since 2012 at 8.3%

Brazil's unemployment rate reached 8.3% in the second quarter of 2015, the highest figure for the time series that began in 2012. The data is part of the Quarterly National Household Sample Survey run by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

According to the survey, the unemployed population was 8.4 million people, up 5.3% compared to the 7.9 million in January–March. However, compared to the second quarter of 2014, the increase in the number of unemployed persons was 23.5%.

The unemployment rate has increased in all regions of the country in the year-over-year comparison for the second quarter. Bahia was the state with the highest rate (12.7%) and Santa Catarina had the lowest (3.9%).

Translated by Mayra Borges