In the quarter ended November 2024, unemployment rate dropped to 6.1%, the lowest rate in the series of Continuous PNAD, which started in the first quarter of 2012. This rate means a total of 6.8 million ended December 2014. In one quarter, 510 thousand found a job. Against the equivalent quarter in 2023, 1.4 million left the unemployed population.

Unemployment rate stood 8.8 percentage points below the record series of Continuous PNAD (14.9%), which was recorded in the quarter ended September 2020, whereas the number of unemployed persons is 55.6% below the record in the series (15.3 million), of the first quarter of 2021, being both periods during the Covid19 pandemic.

Employment and work with a formal contract hits new records

The total number of persons employed in the country hit a new record, and reached 103.9 million workers. The employed population had fallen to the lowest level in the time series (82.6 million) in the quarter ended August 2020. Since then, there has been an increase of 25.8%, which is equivalent to 21.3 million persons more in the labor market.

With the new increase of employment in the quarter ended November, the country hit records also among workers in the private sector (53.5 million) and workers with a formal contract  (39.1 million), besides workers in the public sector (12.8 million). Employment status, that is, the proportion of persons aged 14 and over who were working hit a record level, once more, and reached 58.8%.

Adriana Beringuy, coordinator of Household Surveys at the IBGE, “the year 2024 points to a record increase in labor market in Brazil, driven by the rise of formal and informal work.”

The number of workers without a formal contract did not change significantly in the quarter, and stood at 14.4 million, whereas the total number of self-employed workers (25.9 million) increased 1.8% in the quarter and remained stable in the year. Therefore, the informality rate stood at 38.7%, which is equivalent to 40.3 million informal workers. This rate is slightly below that of the previous quarter (38.8%) and was lower than in the same period of 2023 (39.2%).

Industry, Construction, Public administration and Domestic services lead employment

Four of the ten groups of activity surveyed led the rise of employment against the previous moving quarter. Industry grew by 2.4% (309 thousand persons), and Construction increased by 3.6% (269 thousand persons); the sector of Public administration, defense, social security, education, human health and social services increased by 1.2% (215 thousand persons) and Domestic services grew by 3.0% (174 thousand persons). Together, these four economic activities had an increase of 967 thousand workers, in the quarter. 

“The expansion of employment by means of several economic activities has allowed workers in segments of both elementary occupations and more advanced professional services to be demanded, thus expanding occupation of the population at working age,” she explains. 

Against the same period in 2023, seven groups recorded increases: General Industry (3.6%, or 466 thousand persons), Construction (6.0%, or 440 thousand persons), Trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (3.6%, or 692 thousand persons), Transportation, storage and mailing (5.8%, or 322 thousand persons), Information, Communication and Financial, Real Estate, Professional and Administrative Activities (4.4%, or 548 thousand persons), Public administration, defense, social security, education, human health and social services (4.4%, or 790 thousand persons) and Other services (5.0%, or 270 thousand persons). together, these economic activities received more than 3.5 million workers, against the same period in 2023.

On the other hand, Agriculture, livestock, fishing and aquaculture also dropped in this comparison (-4.4%, or 358 thousand persons), whereas the other groups were stable. 

Wage bill of workers hits a record, with an increase of 2.1% in the quarter

The usual real wage bill from all the activities (R$ 3,285) was stable in the quarter and increased 3.4% in the year. The usual real wagebill hit a new record, and reached R$ 332.7 billion, with an increase of 2.1% (R$ 7.1 billion) in the quarter and 7.2% (R$ 22.5 billion) in the year.

In the quarterly comparison, the group Transportation, storage and mailing recorded an increase in average earnings: 4.7%, or R$ 141. There were no significant changes in average earnings of the other groups of activity. 

In the year, income increased in three activities: Trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (3.9%, or R$ 102) Transportation, storage and mailing (7.8%, or R$ 229) and Domestic services (3.6%, or R$ 43), with stability in other groups.

More about the survey

The Continuous PNAD is the main survey on workforce in Brazil. Its sample includes 211 thousand households, spread along 3.500 municipalities, which are visited every quarter. Nearly two thousand interviewers worked in the survey, integrated with more than 500 IBGE branches in the entire country.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the IBGE implemented data collection by telephone on March 17, 2020. In July 2021, face-to-face data collection was resumed.

The identity of the interviewers can be confirmed at the Answering the IBGE website or through the Call Center (0800 7218181), and their ID numbers can be requested by the informants.

See PNAD data on Sidra. The next release of the monthly Continuous PNAD, related to the quarter ended in November, will be on December 27.

See PNAD data on Sidra. The next release of the monthly Continuous PNAD, related to the quarter ended in November, will be on December 27.