The unemployment rate in February (5.9%) advanced 0.6 percentage points in relation to January (5.3%) and increased 0.8 percentage points compared to February last year (5.1%).
The unemployed population (1.4 million persons) increased by 10.2% (131 million persons more) in relation to January and 14.1% (176 thousand persons more) when compared to February 2014.
The employed population (22.8 million) dropped 1.0% in relation to January and kept stable over February 2014. The economically-inactive population  (19.4 million persons) held steady in relation to January and grew 2.3% (443 thousand persons more) in relation to February 2014.

The number of workers with a formal contract in the private sector (11.6 million) remained unchanged both in the monthly and in the annual comparison. The average usual real earnings of the employed persons (R$ 2,163.20) fell 1.4% over January ( R$ $2,194.22) and decreased 0.5% compared to February 2014 (R$ 2,174.35). The volume of the average usual real earnings (R$ 50.0 billion in February 2015) dropped 2.5% in relation to January and fell 1.5% in the annual comparison. The average actual real income of employed persons (R$ 50.7 billion in January 2015) fell 19.8% in relation December and decreased 1.4% in relation to January 2015.

The Monthly Employment Survey is conducted in the Metropolitan Areas of Recife, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Porto Alegre. The complete publication is available on www.ibge.gov.br/english/estatistica/indicadores/trabalhoerendimento/pme_nova/.

Unemployment rate(%)

Source: IBGE, Diretoria de Pesquisas, Coordenação de Trabalho e Rendimento, Pesquisa Mensal de Emprego.

In the month, unemployment rises in four metropolitan areas

By area, the monthly analysis showed that the unemployment rate increased in four of the six areas surveyed: in Salvador, it changed from 9.6% to 10.8%; in Belo Horizonte, from 4.1% to 4.9%; in Rio de Janeiro, from 3.6% to 4.2% and in Porto Alegre, from 3.8% to 4.7%. In relation to February 2014, the rate advanced in the Metropolitan Areas of Salvador, from 9.0% para 10.8%; Belo Horizonte, from 3.9% to 4.9% and Porto Alegre, from 3.3% to 4.7%.

                                    Unemployment rate (%)

In the analysis by area, the number of the unemployed, in comparison with that of January, increased in Porto Alegre (24.2%), Belo Horizonte (18.8%), Rio de Janeiro (16.0%) and in Salvador (11.4%); the figure did not change in São Paulo. In comparison with February 2014, unemployment rose 46.5% in Porto Alegre, 26.2% in Salvador and 23.7% in Belo Horizonte. The other areas were unchanged.

Employment-population ratio stays at 52.3%

The employment-population ratio (proportion of employed persons in relation to those at working age) in February 2015 was estimated at 52.3% in the group of six areas surveyed, 0.5 percentage points (pp) below the result seen in January. In relation to February 2014 this indicator shrank 1.0 p.p.. By areas in the monthly comparison, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro contracted 1.1 and 0.9 p.p., respectively. In the comparison with February 2014 there were drops in São Paulo and Belo Horizonte (-1.6 and -1.4 p.p., respectively).

In the analysis of the number of employed persons by groups of activity for the group of six areas, from January to February 2015, there was stability in almost all the groups, except in Other services (-3.7%). In comparison with February last year, there were decreases in two groups: Industry (-7.1%) and Construction (-5.9%) whereas in Domestic services there was increase of 7.1%.

In the month, average earnings increased in five of the six Metropolitan Areas

By areas, in relation to last January, earnings grew in Recife (2.4%) and presented drops in the other regions: São Paulo (-2.3%); Rio de Janeiro (-1.4%); Salvador (-1.1%); Porto Alegre (-0.5%) and Belo Horizonte (-0.4%). Over February 2014, earnings had growth in Recife (3.7%); Salvador (2.1%) and Porto Alegre (0.9%). In Belo Horizonte and São Paulo, it recorded drops of 3.2% and 1.2%, respectively, and in Rio de Janeiro, it did not change.
                    Average usual real earnings

In the categories of employment type, the only rise in the average usual real earnings, in the monthly comparison, was observed among workers without a formal contract in the private sector (1.5%). The same category of employment type had the strongest fall in earnings in the annual comparison (-4.3%), as shown in the table below.

                   Average usual real earnings