Unemployment in Brazil stable in May, survey shows

Brazil’s unemployment rate closed out the quarter ending in May at 12.7%, virtually unchanged from the quarter ending in February this year (12.6%).

The figures can be found in the National Continuous Household Sample Survey (known as Continuous Pnad), released today (Jun. 29) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.

The survey reveals, however, that informal jobs were on the rise from one quarter to another. In other words, the percentage of workers with no labor guarantees under the law increased 2.9%—another 307 thousand people. Compared to the same quarter last year, the rise stands at 5.7% (597 thousand people).

The nearly stable unemployment rate kept the number of people without a job also stable—13.2 million people. In the quarter ending in February, the number stood at 13.1 million.

Employed population

In May, 90.9 million people had a job, which also indicates stability from the preceding quarter (December–February). Compared to the same period last year, when 89.7 million people were employed, this figure grew 1.3%.