About 29.4 million households in Brazil (43% of the total) received, in June, some pandemic-related emergency aid, which is intended to guarantee social protection during the crisis caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic. That figure corresponds to an increase by more than 3.1 million households, against the previous month. The data comes from MONTHLY PNAD COVID19, released today (23) by the IBGE.

In June, almost half of the population (49.5%), about 104.5 million persons, lived in housing units where at least one of the residents received the benefit. “Directly or indirectly, they may have been helped by that aid,” says Cimar Azeredo, deputy director at the IBGE 's Department of Surveys, as he adds a total R$ 27.3 billion reais were made available, and that the lowest income strata of the Brazilian population received 75.2% of the transfers.

In addition to that, in the states of the North and Northeast Regions, the percentage of households benefited with emergency aid surpassed 45%. In Amapá and Maranhão the proportion of benefited ones surpassed 65%. In Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, however, coverage did not reach 30%.

The survey shows that, in June, the emergency aid had a bigger impact on the first range of earnings, encompassing 10% of the population (21 million persons) who live in households with per capita earnings of up to R$ 50.34. A total 17.7 million (83.5%) in that range live in households that received the benefit. For that number, per capita average household earnings changed from R$ 7.15 to R$ 271.92, a difference of 3,705%.

In the second range of earnings, the benefit completed 86.1%, which corresponds to 18.2 million of the 21 million persons living in households where at least one person received the aid. The impact on that range was of 150%, and the average earnings went from R$ 150.88 to R$ 377.22.

According to Cimar Azeredo, that shows the program had a great impact on the earnings of the most vulnerable persons, who, without the benefit, would have to live on R$ 354,18 or less. “The emergency aid reached almost 80% of the housing units in the first two ranges of earnings and about three thirds of the households in the third range. That shows the importance of the household income program for the lower income strata,”, the deputy director says.

The emergency aid paid by the federal government is directed to informal workers, individual microentrepreneurs (MEI), self-employed persons and the unemployed, with a maximum per capita household earnings of R$ 522.50 or a total maximum household earnings of three minimum wages (R$ 3,135).

Unemployment rises and reaches 11.8 million persons

In the labor market, MONTHLY PNAD COVID19 shows that, in June, the unemployment rate rose from 10.7% to 12.4%, affecting 11.8 million persons. More than 1.7 million lost their Jobs, in comparison with May figures. As a result, the employed population was reduced to 83.4 million workers.