The rate reached its lowest level in all the new PME series Real average yield (R$ 900.20) fell by 1.2% in relation to that of September and increased 2.6% in relation to October 2003.
The main increase of employment (6.6%) occurred in Construction.

In October, according to IBGE’s Monthly employment Survey, the unemployment rate was 10.5%. With this second consecutive increase, the rate reached its lowest level in the new PME series, which started in October 2001. This percentage (10.5%) had only been reached in December 2002. In relation to the months of October 2002 (11.2%) and 2003 (12.9%), the unemployment rate of October fell 0.7 and 2.4 percentage points, respectively.

The estimated unemployment rate among men was 8.1%, with decrease of 0.7 percentage points versus September 2004. Among women, the rate was 13.4%, without significant change in relation to September. 

By area, in comparison with September, there was significant change only in Porto Alegre (from 8.7% to 7.6%). In relation to October 2003, Recife (from 14.4% to 12.1%), Belo Horizonte (from 11.2% to 9.6%), São Paulo (from 15.0% to 11.2%) and Porto Alegre (from 10.1%b to 7.6%) recorded significant changes.

EMPLOYED POPULATION

October’s PME estimated at 19.4 million the number of employed persons aged 10 and over, in the six metropolitan areas surveyed. There was stability (0.2%) in relation to September and expansion of 4.2% (or 774 thousand employed persons more) versus October 2003. Men made up 56.5% of the employed ones, and women, 43.5%. 

By age group, the employed population was distributed as follows: 0.3% between 10 and 14 years of age; 2.0% between 15 and 17 years of age; 16.7% between 18 and 24 years of age; 63.1% between 25 and 49 years of age and 17.9% aged 50 and over. The group aged 16 to 24, target population of the First Job Program, represented 18.3% of the employed population.

Employment in the main groups of activity:

Mining and quarrying industry, manufacturing industry and distribution of electricity, gas an water (17.9% of the employed population). There was stability versus September, and increase of 6.5% in relation to October last year. Only in the metropolitan areas of São Paulo (9.2%) and Porto Alegre (9.3%) were there significant changes.

Construction (7.3% of the employed population). There was change of 6.6% in relation to September, the highest since the beginning of the new series. In comparison with October 2003, there was change of 5.8%, the highest since june 2003. Recife (19.7%) and Rio de Janeiro (8.3%) changed in relation to the September figure. In the annual comparison, there was overall stability.  

Trade (19.3% of the employed population) In the monthly comparison, both in the total six areas surveyed and in each one of them, there was stability. In relation to October 2003, there was stability in the group of six metropolitan areas (1.2%) and significant changes mainly in Salvador (11.7%) and Belo Horizonte (11.5%).

Services rendered to enterprises, rents, real estate activities and financial mediation (13.9% of the employed population). In the group of six areas, there was stability versus September (1.0%). Versus October 2003, the group had considerable increase of the number of employed persons (5.7%). At regional level, in the monthly comparison, there were no significant changes. In comparison with October 2003 results, only São Paulo presented significant change (9.5%).  

Education, health, social services, public administration, defense and social security (15.4% of the employed population). In the group of six areas, there was stability versus September (1.5%) and October 2003 (-0.8%). By area, in the monthly comparison, there were decreases in Recife (-7.4%) and Rio de Janeiro (-4.8%). In relation to October 2003, there were no changes in any of the areas surveyed.

Domestic services (8.0% of the employed population) In comparison with September, there was no significant change in the total of six areas (-0.4%), but hike of 11.7% in comparison with October last year.

In the analysis by area, compared with September, there were decreases in Salvador (-7.6%) and Porto Alegre (-8.2%). In terms of October last year, there were hikes in Rio de Janeiro (18.1%) and in São Paulo (15.2%).

Other services (lodging, transportation, urban cleaning and personal services) (17.4% of the employed population) In the group of six areas, there was no statistically significant change in relation to September (-0.4%). In the comparison with October 2003, the change was 5.3%, as a consequence of the increase of the number of employed persons in Salvador (12.8%) and Belo Horizonte (10.0%). The other metropolitan areas recorded stability. 

Employment by type of participation in the job market:

Workers WITH a formal contract signed in the private sector (39.3% of the employed population) There was no significant change in this type of participation in the job market in relation to September (1.3%) in the group of six areas. However, there was increase of the number of workers with an employment contract signed (3.6%) in comparison with October 2003. By area, in comparison with September, none of the six areas recorded significant change, and in comparison with October 2003, there was change in Recife (9.4%) and Belo Horizonte (9.9%).

Workers WITHOUT a formal contract in the private sector (16.0% of the employed population). In the group of six metropolitan areas, there was stability in each of them in the monthly comparison. In relation to October 2003, there was increase of 7.1% in the total number of workers without a formal contract signed in the private sector, due to the rise of this type of participation observed in Belo Horizonte (10.0%), São Paulo (10.5%) and Porto Alegre (18.4%).

Own-account workers (20.2% of the employed population) There was no change in relation to September. In comparison with the same month last year there was increase of 3.7%. In the analysis by area, in the annual comparison, only in Salvador was there change (18.7%).

 UNEMPLOYED PERSONS

The PME of October estimated at 2.3 million the total unemployed persons in the six metropolitan areas surveyed. There was decrease of 4.1% in relation to September (or approximately, minus 98 thousand persons looking for a job). This monthly movement occurred, to a great extent, due to the decreases which occurred in Belo Horizonte (-5.8%), Rio de Janeiro (-5.2%), São Paulo (-4.0%) and Porto Alegre (-11.7%). In the annual comparison, there was even more significant decrease: -17.9%, mainly due to the estimates observed in Recife (-17.3%), Belo Horizonte (-11.3%), Rio de Janeiro (-8.1%), São Paulo (-25.0%) and POrto Alegre (-24.1%).

AVERAGE REAL INCOME

In October, the average real income usually earned by workers (R$ 900.20) fell in relation to that of September (-1.2%) and increased (2.6%) in relation to October 2003. Compared with September, there was decrease in all the areas. In comparison with October 2003, there was rise in almost all the areas, except Porto Alegre (-0.7%).

The average real income usually earned by workers with a formal contract in the private sector (R$ 915.30) faced retraction (-1.6%). The income of own-account workers (R$ 730.60) increased in the monthly (2.2%) and annual comparisons (6.4%).

¹ Except domestic workers, military and civil servants and other government servants.