The indicator goes back to a positive level after two negative changes (seasonally adjusted series). In comparison with February 07, there was increase of 3.2%, and the continuation of increases for 20 consecutive months. Considering the index accumulated in the year and in the least 12 months, there were increases of about 3.0% and 2.5%, respectively. Real payroll remained stable (0.0%) from January to February (with seasonal adjustment), but increased 4.4% in the comparison with February 07 and 5.3% in terms of the figure accumulated in the year.

Employed persons 

In February, industrial employment was had a positive rate (0.6%), in comparison with the previous year (seasonally adjusted series) after two months of negative figures, a period in which it had accumulated decrease of 0.7%). The quarterly moving average index increased from November 2006 to December 2007, and has remained stable for two months.

In comparison with February 2007, there was increase of 3.2%, the twentieth consecutive positive result. Considering the indicator accumulated in the first two months of 2008, the increment was 3.0%, that is, below the index for the fourth quarter of 2007 (3.5%); these two results refer to comparison with the previous year. The indicator accumulated in the last twelve months also increased in February (2.5%) and accelerated in comparison with the January index (2.3%).

In comparison with February 2007 (3.2%), hirings outnumbered dismissals in most 911) of the fourteen areas surveyed, being the main highlights the states of São Paulo (4.6%), Northeast Region (4.3%), Minas Gerais (3.1%) and North and Central West (3.8%). In these areas, the main positive contributions came from, respectively: machinery and equipment (13.7%) and electronic machines and communication equipment (17.7%), in the São Paulo industry; food products and beverages (9.0%), in the Northeast; means of transportation (16.4%) and electronic machines and communication equipment (22.7%), in Minas Gerais; and food products and beverages (11.8%), in the North and Central West.

By subsector, all over the country, eleven of the eighteen subsectors surveyed contributed positively to increase the number of employed persons, being the main highlight machinery and equipment (14.1%), means of transportation (10.7%), food products and beverages (4.0%), electronic machines and communication equipment (12.9%) and metal products (9.3%). On the other hand, negative contributions came from footwear and leather articles (-10.9%), apparel (-3.9%), wood (-7.2%) and textiles (-3.9%).

The indicator accumulated in the first two months of 2008 increased by 3.0%, with increase of the number of workers in eleven of the eighteen subsectors. The highlights, once more, were machinery and equipment (13.2%), means of transportation (10.8%), electronic machines and communication equipment (13.2%), metal products (10.2%) and food products and beverages 92.6%). The main negative contributions were those of footwear and leather articles (-10.5%), apparel (-3.7%), wood (-7.7%) and textiles (-2.7%).

Considering the eleven areas which had increase in the first two months of the year, São Paulo (4.6%), Northeast Region and (3.1%) and Minas Gerais (2.8%) accounted for the main positive contributions o the overall rate, opposite to Espírito Santo, which had a negative rate (-3.3%).

In summary, the continuation of a highly productive level of industrial activity is a determining factor in the positive indexes in the market, with the indicator for the first two months of the year presenting, in 2008, its highest result since 2005.

Number of hours paid

In February, the number of hours paid to workers of industry increased by 1.7% in relation to January, in the seasonally adjusted series. It was the highest result in the time series, after three months with falling rates, in a period in which it decreased by 0.5%. As a consequence, the quarterly moving average index increased by 0.4% between the quarters which ended in February and January, after remaining practically stable between January and December (-0.2%)

The comparison with the same month in the previous year shows increase of 3.7%, maintaining a sequence of twenty-one consecutive positive rates. In the first two months of the year (2.9%), it increased at almost the same rhythm as in the fourth quarter of 2007 (2.8%). Both of these comparisons refer to equivalent periods in the previous year. The annualized rate, the index accumulated in the last twelve months, which has been on a growing trend since September 2006, increased by 1.2% in February, and was higher than in February (1.9%).

Considering the monthly indicator, the number of hours paid increased by 3.75 as a consequence of the positive contributions from twelve of the fourteen areas and thirteen of the eighteen subsectors surveyed. N terms of subsectors, the main changes in the overall rate came from machinery and equipment (17.4%), means of transportation (13.2%), and electronic machines and communication equipment 913.9%). On the other hand, footwear and leather articles (-12.7%) and wood (-8.1%) were the main negative contributions.

In the same comparison, the areas accounting for the main positive contributions to the national result were São Paulo (5.0%), Northeast Regions (4.6%) and Minas Gerais (3.7%). In São Paulo, there was increase of the number of hours paid in thirteen activities, especially machinery and equipment (15.5%), means of transportation (13.1%), electronic machines and communication equipment (18.1%). In the northeastern industry, the main positive contributions were those from food products and beverage (8.5%) and petroleum refining and alcohol production (16.8%); in Minas Gerais, the most significant increase came from electronic machines and communication equipment (31.2%) and means of transportation (15.8%). On the other hand, the main negative influence to the overall index came from Ceará (-1.5%).

In the 2.9% increase reached in the first two months of the year, there was a predominance of the participation of twelve areas and ten subsectors. The main positive results, by area, were those of: São Paulo (4.4%), Northeast Region (3.0%) and Minas Gerais (2.9%). In the analysis by subsector, the changes occurred in machinery and equipment (15.1%), means of transportation (12.2%) and metal products (11.7%). On the other hand, Espírito Santo (-2.4%) negatively affected the overall result and, among the subsectors, the main figures came from footwear and leather articles (-12.5%) and wood (-8.4%).  

Real payroll

In February, the seasonally adjusted real payroll of industry workers was stable (0.0%) in relation to the immediately previous month, after increasing by 1.7% in January. With these results, the quarterly moving average indicator increased by 0.4% between the quarters which ended in January and February, exactly the opposite of the decrease which occurred in January and in February, as accumulated in the two previous months.

In comparison with the same periods in 2007, the results remained positive: 4.4% for the monthly indicator and 5.3% accumulated in the year. The annualized rate, the indicator accumulated in the last twelve months (5.5%), practically repeated the January result (5.6%).

In the comparison with February 2007, the real payroll increased by 4.4%, the twentieth consecutive positive rate, with increments in twelve of the fourteen areas surveyed. The main negative contribution came from São Paulo 96.4%), due, above all, to the salary increase in metal products (13.5%), electronic machines and communication equipment (15.3%) and metallurgy (29.8%). It is also worth mentioning Rio Grande do Sul (8.2%), due to metal products (48.4%), machinery and equipment (29.7%) and means of transportation (23.2%); and Paraná (7.8%). These results can be seen as a consequence of the higher payroll of machinery and equipment (32.7%), chemical products (20.5%) and apparel (18.1%). On the other hand, Minas Gerais (-2.2%) and Espírito Santo (-9.8%) were the two areas with negative rates, with mining and quarrying industry, which fell by 56.3% and 32.7%, respectively, as the main highlights. It is also important to mention that these two rates are unusual, and resulted from a high comparison basis, due to the paying of dividends and profit participation in an important company.

Also considering the monthly indicator, the real payroll of workers increased in twelve of the eighteen subsectors surveyed. The main positive contributions came from means of transportation (12.85), machinery and equipment (10.2%) and metal products (19.3%). On the other hand, the main negative contributions were those of mining and quarrying industry (-21.9%), chemical products (-6.8%) and footwear and leather articles (-7.9%).

The indicator accumulated in the year in the first two months increased by 5.3%, with the main positive contributions coming from twelve subsectors. The main contributions came from São Paulo (7.5%), Rio Grande do Sul (6.7%) and Paraná (6.3%). In these states, the highlights were, respectively, increase in real payroll for means of transportation (14.1%) and electronic machinery and communication equipment (14.4%); metal products (44.2%) and machinery and equipment (19.9%); and machinery and equipment and apparel (17.6%).

In terms of subsectors, there was increase of salary volume in fourteen subsectors, especially means of transportation (13.55), metal products (16.3%) and machinery and equipment (8.0%). In terms of negative contributions, the main salary reductions were observed in mining and quarrying industry (-14.1%) and in footwear and leather articles (-7.0%).