This is the second consecutive positive result of the seasonally adjusted series. In the same comparison, the number of hours paid increased by 1.8% and real payroll, by 3.6%. In the comparison between February/07 and February/06, employment increased by 1.0% and real payroll, by 5.4%.

In February, industrial employment remained positive for the second consecutive month (0.3%) in the series without seasonal adjustment, having accumulated increase of 0.8%. Consequently, the quarterly moving average index changed by 0.2% between the quarters which ended in February and January. In relation to February 2006, the increase was 1.0%, the eighth consecutive positive result. In terms of the indicator accumulated in the first two months of 2007, the increment was also 1.0%, that is, higher than in the fourth quarter of 2006 (0.6%). The indicator accumulated in the last twelve months (0.2%), on a growing trend since October 2006, had the second consecutive positive change. 

In comparison with February 2006 (1.0%), hirings outnumbered dismissals in ten of the fourteen areas surveyed. The highlights, in this case, were: São Paulo (2.0%), the Northeast Region (1.9%) and the North and Central West Regions (2.4%). In the three areas, the subsector of food products and beverages was the highlight as the main positive contribution to the index, with increases of 7.6%, 4.7% and 11.5%, respectively. The increase of employment in these areas is mainly related to the rhythm of foreign sales of agricultural commodities (sugar, soybeans and meat). On the other hand, Rio Grande do Sul (-3.3%) and Minas Gerais (-1.0%) feature among the main negative highlights, affected by the subsectors of footwear and leather articles (-15.2%) and apparel (-15.3%), respectively. By subsector, in the country, eleven of the eighteen subsectors surveyed contributed positively to the increase of employment. The main ones were: food products and beverages (6.1%), metal products (5.1%) and means of transportation (4.4%). On the other hand, the negative pressures on the overall result came from footwear and leather articles (-8.2%), apparel (-6.0%) and wood (-5.8%).

The indicator accumulated in the first two months of 2007 increased by 1.0%, with positive changes in ten of the eighteen subsectors surveyed. The highlights are still food products and beverages (6.5%), means of transportation (4.3%) and metal products (4.3%). The negative contribution of footwear and leather articles (-8.8%), apparel (-5.9%) and wood (-4.2%) must also be mentioned. It is a consequence of the slighter rhythm of production, due to the loss of export competitiveness, as well as the competition with imported products. It is also worth mentioning the significant increase of employment in the subsector of petroleum refining and alcohol production, which results, mainly , from the bigger number of workers in the production of alcohol.

By area, São Paulo (1.8%), Northeast Region (2.4%) and North and Central West Regions (3.2%) were the highlights as the main positive contributions, contrasting to the negative results of Rio Grande do Sul  (-4.0%), Minas Gerais (-0.6%) and Bahia (-0.3%).

According to the quarterly moving average index, stability in industrial activity was also observed in employment in the first two months of 2007. In comparison with last year, there was slight deceleration of the rhythm of industrial employment, with a rate of 1.0% for the total of industry in the first two months of 2007, surpassing the index of the last quarter of 2006 (0.6%). This movement was more visible in the subsector of machinery and equipment, which showed the decrease of 2.2% to 1.3%, in metal products, which changed from 2.2% to 4.3%, and in leather articles, with a change from -12.9% to -8.8%. 

Number of hours paid increases by 0.6% in the first two months of the year

The number of hours paid to industrial workers in February increased by 1.8% in relation to January, considering a seasonally adjusted series, after two months of positive rates in a period in which it accumulated loss of 1.2%. Consequently, the quarterly moving average index, as observed in employment, also had a positive change (0.2%) between the quarters which ended in February and in January.

In comparison with the same period last year, the increase was 0.6% both in relation to the same month in the previous year and in the indicator accumulated in the first two months of 2007. The annualized rate, an index accumulated in the last twelve months (0.4%), remained stable compared to December (0.3%) and January (0.4%).

In comparison with February 2006, the number of hours paid increased by 0.6%; it was the ninth consecutive positive result, mainly affected by the positive contributions from ten of the eighteen subsectors surveyed. The main positive highlights were food products and beverages (6.3%), metal products (5.2%) and means of transportation (3.8%), whereas apparel (-7.8%) and footwear and leather articles (-8.5%) were the main negative highlights.

By area, still considering the comparison with the same month in the previous year, the areas with the major positive contributions to the national result were: São Paulo (1.0%), Northeast Region (2.0%) and Paraná (2.6%). In São Paulo, there was increase of the number of hour paid in eleven on the eighteen activities, especially in food products and beverages (5.8%), metal products (3.9%) and petroleum refining and alcohol production (18.0%). In the industry of the Northeast region, the highlights, with the biggest positive contributions, were food products and beverages (6.3%) and petroleum refining and alcohol production (37.9%); in Paraná, the biggest increase came from food products and beverages (8.6%). On the other hand, the main negative results came from Rio Grande do SUL (-3.3%) and from Minas Gerais (-1.9%), where the subsectors of footwear and leather articles (-15.9%) and apparel (-20.5%) were, respectively, the ones which most contributed to the overall results in both places.  

Considering the indicator accumulated in the year (0.6%), there was increase of the number of hour paid in tem areas and in tem subsectors, with the major positive highlights coming from São Paulo (0.9%), Northeast Region (2.1%) and North and Central-West regions (2.9%), whereas Rio Grande do Sul (4.0%) and Minas Gerais (-1.8%) were the main negative contributions. In the analysis by subsector, the main positive contributions came from food products and beverages (6.5%), means of transportation (3.8%) and metal products (3.8%), whereas the biggest reductions were those observed in footwear and leather articles (-9.9%) and apparel (-8.0%).

Real payroll grew in all the areas in the first two months of the year

In February, the seasonally-adjusted real payroll of industrial workers grew by 3.6% in relation to January. The quarterly moving average indicator increased by 3.1% between the quarters which ended in January and February, reaching the highest level since the beginning of the series, in 2001.

In relation to the same period in the previous year, the results remain positive: 5.4% for the overall index and 4.7% accumulated in the first two months, which had a faster rhythm than that observed in the last quarter of 2006 (2.6%). The annualized rate, an indicator accumulated in the last twelve months (1.9%), pointed to slight increase, in comparison with January (1.7%).

In the comparison February 07/February 06, the real payroll changed by 5.4%, with positive rates in the fourteen areas surveyed. The most relevant positive contribution was that of São Paulo (4.7%), which was mainly influenced by the subsector of chemical products (38.2%), due to the sharing of profits in February 2007. Other important subsectors were food products and beverages (8.7%) and electric machines and communication equipment (6.4%). It is also worth mentioning Minas Gerais (6.8%), due to the increases in mining and quarrying industry (19.0%),  metallurgy (13.0%) and machinery and equipment (20.9%); and also the Northeast Region (7.9%), stimulated by the real growth of payroll in the subsectors of food products and beverages (11.4%) chemical products (10.6%) and mining and quarrying industry (9.8%).  

In the analysis by subsector, there was growth of the real payroll in eleven of the eighteen subsectors surveyed. The main positive contributions came from chemical products (27.0%), food products and beverages (8.8%) and mining and quarrying industry (16.2%). On the other hand, the main negative contributions were those of means of transportation (-2.5%), paper and printing (-2.8%) and wood (-7.3%).

In terms of the indicator accumulated in the first two months of the year, real payroll grew by 4.7%, with positive results in all the areas surveyed. The main contributions came from São Paulo (3.4%), Minas Gerais (6.7%) and Northeast region (7.6%). In São Paulo, the highlights were the increases of the real payroll of chemical products (10.0%) and food products and beverages (9.5%); in Minas Gerais, of metallurgy (11.1%) and mining and quarrying industry (19.2%); in the Northeast Region, of food products and beverages (11.4%) and petroleum refining and alcohol production (28.8%). At national level, real payroll grew in ten subsectors, being the highlight food products and beverages (9.5%), mining and quarrying industry (15.6%0 and chemical products (9.1%). On the other hand, the main decreases were those of paper and printing (-2.6%), wood (-6.6%) and footwear and leather articles (-3.8%).