A survey just released by the union-linked socio-economic studies department (Departamento Intersindical de EstatÀstica e Estudos Sócio-Econômicos) (Dieese) shows that blacks in Brazil continue to receive lower salaries than whites.
In Salvador, Bahia, a city with a large black population (86%), the survey found that the average salary of a black was half that of a white (US$ 207 (R$ 575) to US$ 414 (R$ 1,148)).
The survey was conducted in six metropolitan areas: Belo Horizonte, Distrito Federal, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador and São Paulo. It took place on November 20, which in Brazil is celebrated as Black Awareness Day.
Besides the problem with low salaries, the survey found that more blacks are unemployed.
In Salvador the unemployment rate among blacks is 26.9%, and among whites 18.4%.
In Belo Horizonte, where 59% of the population is black, the unemployment rate for blacks is 21.9%, compared to 17.2% for those who are not black.
An interesting discovery by the survey is that even with higher levels of education, blacks have a more difficult time in the job market.
For example, in Salvador unemployment among blacks with a university degree is 2.5 percentage points higher than among similarly educated whites.
And the national average earnings of blacks with a university education is 20% less than what whites with a university degree get.
Agência Brasil
Translator: Allen Bennett