Data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) indicate that the employed population in the country’s six most important metropolitan areas was 4.1% higher this January, in comparison with January, 2004, for a total of 19.5 million workers.
Nevertheless, according to the survey released on February 25, the employed population was down 1.4% compared with December, 2004.
According to the IBGE, men occupied 56.6% of the places on the job market, while women held 43.4% of the positions. Of the 19.5 million workers in the six major regions, 63.8% are in the 25-49 age bracket.
The IBGE also found a gradual increase in the percentage of workers with 11 years or more of schooling, rising from 45.9% of the employed population in January, 2003, to 48.0% in January, 2004, to 49.6% in January, 2005.
2004
The level of formal employment – jobs with signed working papers – rose 6.55% in 2004, with the creation of 1,523,276 jobs, a record balance since the Ministry of Labor began its series, the General Register of Employees and the Unemployed (Caged), in 1992.
Even so, according to information provided by executive secretary of the Ministry, Alencar Ferreira, the figures fell short of the 1.8 million target set by the Minister of Labor, Ricardo Berzoini.
In December, 2004, the number of jobs with signed working papers decreased 1.4% in relation to November. This corresponds to a loss of 352,093 job openings.
This phenomenon is explained by December’s being a between-harvest period for activities in the agricultural sector, the decline in industrial employment, and the termination of temporary contracts in the teaching field with the end of the school year.
Translation: David Silberstein
Agência Brasil