Brazil: Unemployment rate is stable in the first quarter, says IBGE

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The unemployment rate in Brazil was 11.1% in the first quarter of 2022, which is stable compared with the fourth quarter of 2021 when it recorded the same percentage. It also represents a drop of 3.8 percentage points compared with the same quarter of 2021, when it reached 14.9%. The data are included in the quarterly results of the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (Pnad), released today (13) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

Concerning the previous quarter, the unemployment rate was stable in 26 states. According to IBGE, the only decrease was in Amapá (3.3 percentage points). For the coordinator of Work and Income of IBGE, Adriana Beringuy, the fall is not due to the increase in the number of occupied people but the lesser pressure of people without work seeking occupation in the state.

“There was a 7.3% drop in the number of people in the labor force and a 10.4% increase in the contingent outside the force,” she explained.

The states of Bahia (17.6%), Pernambuco (17%), and Rio de Janeiro (14.9%) had the highest rates of unemployment. The lowest were in Santa Catarina (4.5%), Mato Grosso (5.3%) and Mato Grosso do Sul (6.5%).

In the first quarter, the unemployment rate by gender was 9.1% for men and 13.7% for women. In terms of color or race, unemployment among whites reached 8.9%, below the national average, but for blacks (13.3%) and browns (12.9%), it was above.

By age brackets, the rate was also stable in the period compared to the previous quarter. IBGE pointed out no growth following the national panorama, even among young people aged 18 to 24 years old (22.8%), who traditionally have high unemployment rates.

“They are young people still in the formation process, which are not very effectively inserted in the labor market, and often hold temporary jobs. They enter and leave the market more frequently. That is because, sometimes, they have to combine studies with work. There are also other structural aspects, such as little experience and qualifications. Because of this, they are routinely pushing themselves out of the market,” said the coordinator.

EDUCATION

Unemployment among people with incomplete high school education reached 18.3%, a percentage higher than the rates for the other levels of education. In the group of people with incomplete higher education, the rate was 11.9%. It is more than double that registered for the complete college level, which reached 5.6%.

INCOME

The average real monthly income was calculated at R$2,548 (US$504). The figure increased 1.5% compared to the fourth quarter of 2021, when it reached R$2,510. It is also a drop of 8.7% compared to the first quarter of 2021. It had already reached R$2,789. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2021, only the North (R$1,985) and Southeast (R$2,875) regions presented a relevant expansion. Compared to the first quarter of 2021, the North Region was stable, and the other regions showed a drop in average income.

“In comparison with the fourth quarter of 2021, only the North (R$1,985) and Southeast (R$2,875) regions had a significant expansion in average income. Among the federation units, although there was a slight increasing trend in most of them, the only state that had a statistically significant increase was São Paulo (R$3,107),” said Adriana Beringuy.

The composite rate of underutilization of the labor force, which is the percentage of unoccupied people, underemployed due to insufficient hours worked and in the potential labor force concerning the enlarged labor force, stood at 23.2% in the first quarter of 2022. The highest percentage, 43.9%, was recorded in Piauí, followed by Sergipe and Alagoas, with 38.6%. Santa Catarina (8.3%), Mato Grosso (11.3%), and Paraná (14%) had the lowest rates.

DISCOURAGEMENT

Also, in the first quarter of 2022, the number of people unemployed totaled 4.6 million. The highest number was in Bahia, with 648,000 people out of work, or 14.1% of the national contingent. Compared with the population in the labor force or unemployed, the percentage of the unemployed reached 4.1% in the first three months of 2022. The highest percentages were in Maranhão (15.8%) and Alagoas (15.4%), while Santa Catarina (0.6%), Mato Grosso (1.2%), and the Federal District (1.4%) were the lowest.

FORMAL EMPLOYEES

The percentage of employees with signed work booklets reached 74.1% in the private sector, with the highest percentages in Santa Catarina (88.2%), São Paulo (82.4%), and Rio Grande do Sul (81.1%). Maranhão (47.3%), Pará (51.3%), and Piauí (51.4%) registered the lowest percentages.

SELF-EMPLOYED

The share of the employed population in the country working for themselves was 26.5%. The highest percentages were in Amapá (35.9%), Amazonas (35.7%), and Pará (34.6%), and the lowest were in the Federal District (19.4%), Mato Grosso do Sul (22.3%), and São Paulo (23.6%).

INFORMALITY

The informality rate for Brazil was 40.1% of the employed population. The highest rates were in Pará (62.9%), Maranhão (59.7%), and Amazonas (58.1%), and the lowest were in Santa Catarina (27.7%), Distrito Federal (30.3%), and São Paulo (30.5%).

With information from Agência Brasil