The number of beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família Program (government handouts) is now higher than the number of jobs with a signed contract (which excludes the public sector) in 13 of the 27 states of the Brazilian federation.
Last year, it was higher at 12.
Rio Grande do Norte was the only exception in the Northeast region until 2022. It is not anymore.
Like all the other Northeastern states, it now has more Bolsa Família beneficiaries than formal jobs. There are also 4 Northern States in this situation.
Remember that Lula became president thanks to votes from the Northeast, while the Brazilian power houses all wanted Bolsonaro.
Maranhão is the State where this relationship of dependence on the benefit is the strongest.
2 Maranhão families receive Bolsa Família for each worker with a formal job contract in the State.
Remember that Lula’s Justice Minister, Flávio Dino was instrumental in determining the deplorable fate of the Maranhão State.
Before the pandemic, there were 8 states with more benefits than formal jobs. The number rose to 10 in 2020, 12 in 2022 with Brazil Aid, and now 13.
The whole thing is financed by the states that need government handouts the least.
These are the three southern powerhouses Santa Catarina, Paraná, and Rio Grande do Sul State, São Paulo, and the Federal District.
The latter, however, does not produce anything but benefits from the inflated state employees’ salaries, which are significantly higher than those of the private sector.