In May 2006, workers in this age group amounted to 18.1% of the employed population in the six metropolitan areas investigated by the Monthly Employment Survey of the IBGE.  With an income of 36.3% above the average, this age group included one out of four responsible workers for the household and 46.1% of the workers without instruction.

In May 2006, there were 3.613 million workers with 50 years old or more in the six metropolitan areas investigated by the Monthly Employment Survey of the IBGE. They were 18.1% of the employed persons in these areas.  The participation of this age group in the employed population was the only one that increased (2.7 percentage points), between May 2002 and May 2006.  In the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro occurred the major participation (22.3%) of these persons in the total of employed persons.  Besides this, the participation of Rio and São Paulo had the major growth (3.0 percentage points in the two areas) in the period.

The data also show that the employed persons with 50 years old or more earned on the average 36.3% more than the total of the employed persons. In this age group could also be found 26.0% of the workers responsible for the household in which they lived.

In 2006, in the investigated areas of the PME, 46.1% of the employed persons without instruction had 50 years old or more, against only 14.0% of those with 11 years or more of study. Besides this, while 41.7% of workers were employees with a formal contract in the private sector, the majority of those with 50 years old or more (32.7%) were self-employed workers. Still in the analysis by category of workers, the participation of persons in this age group in the category of employers was 33.6%.

Increase of employees with 50 years old or more shows population ageing

Stands out the growing participation of the employed population with 50 years old or more in the total of the Population in Active-Age (PIA) which increased from 22.4% to 25.3%, between May 2002 and May 2006, in the total of the six metropolitan areas investigated.  In the period, this number changed from 8.154 million to 10.013 million persons (an increase of 22.8%), while PIA grew by 8.6%.  This major representativity shows the population ageing already observed in other surveys of the IBGE.

The phenomenon is observed among the employed population (PO) of the six metropolitan areas investigated by the PME.   In May 2002, there were in the six areas 2.699 million persons with 50 years old or more (15.4% of the PO), which were 3.613 million (18.1% of the PO) in May 2006.  In the period, the employed population with 50 years old or more increased by 33.9%, while the total PO increased by 13.9%. 

The participation of the age group of 50 years or more of the employed population had the major (and, in some metropolitan areas, the only) increase in this period.

In 2002, 5.8% of the unemployed persons had 50 years old or more, and in 2006 they were 6.4%, a percentage lower than the ones found in 2003 (7.0%) and 2004 (7.1%).

Figure 3 – Participation of the persons with 50 years old or more in the labor market for the total of the six metropolitan areas - May 2002 to May 2006 (%)

The growth of the population with 50 years old or more increased more among the employed persons and the inactive persons: in 2006, 33.1% among them were employed and only 1.4% were unemployed, showing that the behavior of the persons with 50 years old or more is different from the one observed in the total employed population (where these percentages were 50.6% and 5.7%, respectively).

Among the population with 60 years old or more, 18.8% work

Among the population with 60 years old or more (in May 2006 they represented 52.7% of the persons with 50 years old or more) the estimates show that 19.3% of the elders  were directed to the labor market, 18.8% as employed and 0.5% as unemployed (Figure 4). The labor force participation rate of the elders (1) is half as much as the one estimated for those with 50 years old or more.

Figure 4 – Labor force participation rate for persons with 50 years old or more and with 60 years old or more, for the total of the six metropolitan areas – May 2002 to 2006 (%)

Rio has the major proportion of workers with 50 years old or more

From March 2002 to March 2006, the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro had the major participation of persons with 50 years or more in the labor market. This result is not a surprise, since Rio has the major representation of this age group in the PIA (29.8%).  In May 2006, 22.3% of the employed persons had fifty years or more, in the same month in 2002 this percentage was 19.3%.  Rio and the metropolitan area of São Paulo (16.6% in 2006) had the major growth of participation (3.0 percentage points), even that, this last area, had a slight fall between 2005 and 2006 (0.5 percentage points).

In all the metropolitan areas, the participation of persons with 50 years old or more increased among the employed population.  The lower participations in all the period could be observed in Salvador. Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre, had, in 2006, a participation of employed persons with 50 years old or more above than the one of 2002.  Nevertheless these two areas did not present a significant change in the last two annual comparisons. 

São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, most populated metropolitan areas, had the major percentages (Figure 6) of employed persons.  Nevertheless, the percentage of persons with 50 years old or more in Rio de Janeiro is higher than the one of the total of employed persons, while in São Paulo the opposite occurs.   In the other metropolitan areas, the differences are very small, always with a lower participation of the age group with 50 years old or more.

Income of workers with 50 years old or more is 36.3% above the average

In May 2006, the average real income usually earned by the population with 50 years old or more (R$ 1,401.30) was 36.3% above the one of the employed population in the total of the six metropolitan areas.  This superiority also occurred in the previous years, with an increasing differential: in May 2002 the difference was approximately R$ 38.00, in the following year it was R$ 135.60 and in May 2006 it reached R$ 373.50.  Hence, the income of persons with 50 years old or more was 2.4% higher than the average, in 2002, and 36.3% higher, in 2006.

The average real income usually earned by the employed population with 60 years old or more, in May 2006, estimated in R$ 1,383.80, was lower than the one of persons with 50 years old or more, but greater than the one of the total employed persons. Since 2002, the income of elders also increased considerably.

The income/hour of the population of 60 years old or more was at least equal to the population with 50 years old or more and the income/hour of this last group, was above the one observed for the total for the employed population.  This happened because the average number of hours worked fell as the age group levels increased.

In May 2006, in the six metropolitan areas (Figure 22) the average real income for persons with 50 years old or more was above the average real income of the employed persons.  Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre, were the only areas with difference in the income (of employed and of employed with 50 years old or more) lower to the one observed in the total of the six areas, R$ 227.80 (24.1%) and R$ 265.50 (27.0%), respectively. São Paulo had the major absolute difference: R$ 485.20 or 40.7%.  In Recife and Salvador, the differences were the highest: 57.1% and 58.7%, respectively.

The average real income of the population with 60 years old or more in Belo Horizonte and São Paulo surpassed the one of persons with 50 years old or more.

The employed persons with 50 years old or more did not have an average number of hours worked considerably different than the total employed population, but the slight reduction in the working hours may be a consequence of the higher participation in activities with less working hours.

The population with 60 years old or more had a more significant fall in this indicator.  The household workers (38.0 weekly hours), military and public servants (37.4 weekly hours) and own-account workers (41.3 weekly hours), categories with a high base of participation of persons with 50 years old or more, had approximately an average of working hours below the total average (41.8 weekly hours).

Own account work prevails among employed persons with 50 years old or more

In May 2006, the category with higher participation on the total employed population was of employees without a formal contract in the private sector (41.7%).  Among the employed persons with 50 years old or more prevailed own account workers (32.7%), while the employed persons with a formal contract in the private sector were only 24.1%.  Also the employees without a formal contract in the private sector had a major participation in the employed population (14.5%) than the employed persons with 50 years old or more (9.6%) (Figure 15).

In 2002, the own account workers were 24.8% of the employed persons with 50 years old or more.  In 2006, this participation increased to 31.0% (Figure 17).
The category of military (2) and public servants increased the participation of 18.6% (in 2002) to 23.3% (in 2006). The public contests, in the period, and the financial incentives for the servants that continue working  explain this increase.

Employees with 50 years old or more correspond to 29.5% of the total of employees in 2002 and 33.6% in 2006.  This category not only showed a significant increase as also registered the major proportion of persons with 50 years old or more (33.6%).

The total of household workers with 50 years old or more increased by 4.1 percentage points, reaching, in 2006, 21.0% of the total of household workers.

In all the metropolitan areas, the category of own account workers had the major participation, changing from 31.1% in São Paulo to 34.8% in Recife.

The major relative participation of employed persons with 50 years or more of household workers was observed in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro (11.2%). 

Trade also concentrates the majority of workers with 50 years old or more

The segment  trade, repair of automotive vehicles and of personal and domestic objects and retail fuel trade concentrates the major part of the total employed persons (19.5% in May 2006) and also has the major part of employed persons with 50 years old or more (18.6% in May 2006). The groups construction, education, health, social services, public administration, defense and social security and household services had the major percentages among the persons with 50 years old or more of the total of employed persons (Figure 18).  The participation of the other groups among the employed with 50 years old or more was lower than in the total employed population.

The group construction had a high percentage of persons with 50 years old or more, which increased considerably between 2002 (16.1%) and 2006 (22.0%).  Following it, the group household services had a high percentage (21.0% in 2006) of persons with 50 years old or more and a considerable increase in the period (Figure 20).
The services rendered to companies, rents, real estate activities and financial mediation form the group with less participation of persons in this age group and did not show change during the analyzed period (14.2% in 2002 and 14.4% in 2006).

In Recife and Porto Alegre, trade was also the group with the higher percentage of employed persons with 50 years old or more (26.8% and 19.2%, respectively).  In the other areas the results were: Salvador (26.1%) and Belo Horizonte (19.1%) in education, health, social services, public administration, defense and social security; Rio de Janeiro (18.6%) in other services and São Paulo (19.6%) in mining and quarrying, manufacturing industry and production and distribution of electricity, gas and water.

The distribution of employed persons with 50 years old or more by group of activity in the metropolitan areas is similar to the distribution of the total employed population in these groups.

Men prevail among the workers with 50 years old or more

From May 2002 to May 2006, the percentage of men with 50 years old or more in the total employed population increased from 15.9% to 18.7%, and the number of employed women in the same age group changed from 14.7% to 17.4%.  In May 2006, men equaled to the majority of the employed persons (56.4%) and, among the age group with 50 years or more, the difference increased: (58.2% for men and 41.8% for women).

In the same period, increased the participation of women with 50 years old or more (from 40.7% to 41.8%). This means that, in 2006, for each 100 employed men with 50 years old or more, there were 72 women in this condition.  This proportion was, in May 2002, 100 to 69.

In all the metropolitan areas, men were the majority of the employed population with 50 years old or more: Recife (59.9%); Salvador (55.9%); Belo Horizonte (56.7%); Rio de Janeiro (56.6%); São Paulo (59.8%) and Porto Alegre (59.0%) (3).

70.2% of workers with 50 years old or more are responsible for household

In 2006, 70.2% of the employed persons with 50 years old or more were the main responsible for the household in which they lived, compared to 71.6% in 2002.  The participation of the spouse was the one that most increased in the period: from 21.7% to 23.4% (figure 9).

In the total of the employed population, the workers in the condition of main responsible for the household was lower than 50% (48.9% in 2006).  In the total employed population, the participation of the main responsible and of other conditions was considerably near, but among the employed persons with 50 years old or more, the main responsible stood out.

While 26.0% of the main responsible employed persons had 50 years old or more, only 10.6% of the other employed were in this age group.  Among the employed persons with 50 years old or more, 9.9% lived alone. In 2006, in Porto Alegre, among the employed persons with 50 years old or more, the spouses had the highest percentage (27.8%) and in Rio de Janeiro, the lowest (20.5%).

Majority of workers with 50 years old or more concluded secondary instruction

Persons with at least secondary instruction concluded (eleven years or more) had the major relative participation among the employed persons with 50 years old or more (40.3% in 2006) and also among the total of employed persons (52.1%).

Among the employed persons with 50 years old or more, increased the participation of the highest levels of scholarship: 8 to 10 years of study (from 13.2% in 2002 to 13.9% in 2006) and 11 years or more (from 36.9% to 40.3% in the same period).  Among the total of employed persons, only the highest level increased (from 45.1% to 52.1%).  On the other hand, in May 2006, the employed persons with up to 3 years of study represented 7.9% of the total employed population, compared to  16.5% of the employed persons with 50 years old or more. 

 
Majority of workers without instruction had 50 years old or more

In 2006, 46.1% of employed persons without instruction had 50 years old or more compared to only 14.0% of those with 11 years old or more of study (Figure 12).  This shows the lowest scholarship of the population with 50 years old or more, and their difficulty of entrance and evolution in the school system.

In 2006, 40.3% of the employed population with 50 years old or more had 11 years or more of study, but only  14.0% of the employed persons with 11 years or more of study had 50 years old or more. The highest level of education concentrates a considerable part of the employed persons with 50 years old or more and the same is observed for the total employed persons. Nevertheless, among the persons with 11 years or more of study the proportion of persons with 50 years old or more is smaller. 

In May 2006, Salvador had 49.8% of the employed population with 50 years old or more with 11 years or more of study.  In the other areas these percentages were: Recife (43.2%); Belo Horizonte (37.5%); Rio de Janeiro (40.0%); São Paulo (40.3%) and Porto Alegre (36.3%).

Whites prevail in the total employed persons and among the employed persons with 50 years old or more

In May 2006, whites were 60.9% of the employed persons with 50 years old or more.  In the total of employed persons, whites also had a relative participation (56.8% in 2006) higher than blacks and dark-skinned (42.5%).

The metropolitan areas of Salvador, where prevail blacks and dark-skinned and of Porto Alegre, where prevail whites, show these characteristics of the employed population, and consequently, of the employed population with 50 years old or more.  In Salvador, among the employed population with 50 years old or more, in May  2006, only 21.7% were whites.  In Porto Alegre whites represented 90.3% of the employed persons in this age group.

Notes

(1) The World Health Organization (OMS) defines the elder population as the age group with 60 years old or more. For developed countries this limit begins with 65 years old.  In Brazil, an elder is considered whoever is older than sixty years old (Law nº 8.842,  January  04  1994).

(2) See article 40 paragraph 19 of the Federal Constitution.

(3) The complete tables by metropolitan areas with the coefficient of variations are attached.