Over 70 Percent of Brazilian Workers Fear Job Loss

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Seven in ten formal and casual workers (71 percent) are at least ”somewhat afraid” of losing the occupation from which they earn their living. The same proportion of people reports having reduced monthly spending since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The data are from an opinion poll conducted for the National Confederation of Industry (CNI), obtained through a telephone survey conducted between July 10th and 13th in all sections of the country.

In the preceding survey, conducted in May, the proportion of people worried about keeping their jobs was 77 percent while 74 percent said to have reduced consumption.

According to CNI, “the reduced level of consumption tends to be maintained even after the end of social isolation. The majority of respondents believe that the current consumption level will be maintained among 15 types of industrialized products – from items such as clothing, personal hygiene products to alcoholic beverages, household appliances, and electronics.

“The item that should experience the greatest growth in post-isolation consumption is clothing. Still, only 21 percent of respondents said they intend to increase the consumption of these products,” the confederation says.

The survey also found that for 67 percent of respondents the economic rebound has not yet started – with 61 percent estimating that it will take at least a year for it to occur. Three out of every ten people interviewed (31 percent) said they lost part or all of their income before Covid-19.

The survey also found that the fear of being infected with the novel coronavirus reaches 47 percent of respondents, six percentage points less than in May. The reduced fear did not give way to broad support for social isolation measures (84 percent). According to the CNI, “the group of people who leave home only for essential activities, such as shopping or working, grew from 58 to 67 percent between May and July”.

In this period, there was an eight percentage point drop in the proportion of people who say they are in debt, from 53 to 45 percent. The majority (62 percent) who say they are in debt say they will be able to pay off their commitments within 30 days.

A third of respondents applied for and receives the emergency governmental aid of R$600 per month. Among them, 57 percent used the money to make purchases and 35 percent used the amount to pay debts.

Source: Agência Brasil