Brazil ends 2021 with 25.9 million self-employed people -FGV

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The number of self-employed people in Brazil reached 25.9 million in Q4 2021. Of these, 19.5 million workers carry out their activities without a CNPJ. The data come from FGV Ibre.

The self-employed group was responsible for 35.2% of the increase in the number of workers last year.

FGV Ibre researcher and author of the study, Janaína Feijó, says that people who are self-employed without a CNPJ are “more vulnerable” and tend to work in “more vulnerable services that have income fluctuations.”

Of the total employed population in Brazil, the self-employed account for 27.1%. That is, 3 out of 10 Brazilians.

Regarding the gender composition, it can be noted that the majority of Brazilian self-employed without CNPJ are black men (40.9%). The majority of the self-employed with CNPJ are white/yellow men (36.2%).

The tax for black/black women self-employed increased by 23.1%, reaching 933 thousand, the highest level in the historical series. However, black women currently account for only 14.6% of all women with CNPJ, compared to 18.5% for women without CNPJ.

In terms of schooling, 54.7% of all independents without CNPJ have less than a high school diploma. The percentage of those with a high school education in this category is 10.6%. And 34.7% have completed high school or have incomplete higher education.

In the CNPJ employed group, only 26% have less than a high school degree. Those with completed high school or incomplete college education reach 43%, and those with college education reach 31.1%.

In the general scenario, 47.6% of respondents have less than a high school diploma. 36.7% have completed secondary education or incomplete higher education. Only 15.7% have completed higher education.

Click here for the full text (266 KB) of the study by researcher Janaína Feijó.

The author of the study states that the number of self-employed people in Brazil will tend to continue to increase, not as much as in recent years, but increasingly. In her opinion, people want more flexible working hours.

“There is also a global trend toward self-employed people who can better balance their lives with their working hours,” she said.