Brazil: Unemployment among youth drops to 19.3%; general average is 9.3%

Unemployment among 18-24 year olds fell to 19.3% in the 2nd quarter of 2022. In the previous quarter, the rate was 22.8%.

The unemployment rate among young people, however, remains higher than the general average, which includes the entire population.

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Overall, unemployment is 9.3%, that is, 10.1 million people are unemployed. The level among young people registered so far is the lowest since the 3rd quarter of 2015, still in the Dilma Rousseff government, when the rate was 19.2%.

The data were released this Friday (12 Aug 2022) by the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics).

The group with the highest unemployment rate, by age group, continues to be the 14 to 17 year olds. Rate is 33.3%. In the 1st quarter, the rate was 36.4%. A young person in this category works under specific conditions. For example, minor apprentice.

In the other age groups, the rates are below the general average of the total population. In the 25-39 age group, it is 8.3%; in those aged between 40 and 59, 6%; and in those aged 60 or over, 4%. All showed a reduction in relation to the previous quarter.

GENDER AND COLOR

The unemployment rate by sex was 11.6% for women – also above the general population rate (9.3%) – and 9.1% for men. The unemployment rate of women was 54.7% higher than that of men. In the 1st quarter it was 69.4%.

Black or brown people also have a higher unemployment rate than the national average. It is 11.3% for blacks and 10.8% for browns. The group is the most affected by hunger in the country.

For the white population, unemployment was 7.3%, below the national average. All race or color groups had a drop in rate compared to the previous quarter.

AVERAGE INCOME

In the 2nd quarter, the real monthly average income is estimated at R$2,652. In the 2nd quarter of 2022 it was R$2,548.

Women continue to earn a lower average income than men. The average income of women represents 78.6% of the average income of men.

Inequality is also verified in the groups of race and color. The average income of black people represents 59% of the average income of white people.