The unemployment rate  did change significantly compared to the previous month (7.8%), and decreased 1.4 percentage points compared to July 2007 (9.5%). The employed population (21.7 million) remained stable in relation to June, but increased 4% compared to July 2007.

 

The number of workers with a formal employment contract (9.5 million) increased

7.8% in the annual comparison, reaching its highest percentage for a month of July (43.8%).

 

The unemployed population (1.9 million) remained stable and decreased 12.3% in the annual comparison. The average real income of workers (R$ 1,224.40) was stable in the monthly comparison and increased 3.0% compared to July last year. The average real household income per capita (R$801.10) was stable in the month and increased 6.7% in the year. The volume of real income earned by the employed population¹ (R$26.5 billion) fell 0.6% in the month and increased 8.2% in the year. 

 

In July 2008, the unemployment rate² estimated by IBGE’s Monthly Employment Survey (PME) was 8.1% for the group of six metropolitan areas surveyed³; this figure did not change significantly in comparison with the June result (7.8%) and fell 1.4 percentage points when compared to July 2007 (9.5%). This has been the lowest rate for a month of July, in all the PME series since March 2002.

 

In the monthly comparison, there were increases in Recife (from 8.5% to 10.1%) and Rio de Janeiro (from 6.6% to 7.3%). In relation to July 2007, there were decreases in Recife (-2.5 percentage points), Salvador (-2.4 percentage points), São Paulo (-2.0 percentage points) and Porto Alegre (-1.5 percentage points).

 

UNEMPLOYED PERSONS (PD)⁴

 

In relation to the previous month, in the total of six metropolitan areas surveyed, the unemployed population (1.9 million) was stable, but it fell by 12.3% in relation to July 2007.

 

In the month, the number of unemployed persons increased in Recife (23.3%) and in Rio de Janeiro (11.7%). In relation to July 2007, there were decreases in Recife and Salvador (-19.8%), São Paulo (-16.8%) and Porto Alegre (-17.0%).

 

Among the unemployed, 58.5% were women. In terms of age groups, 7.1% were at least 17 years of age, 36.1% were between 18 and 24 years of age; 49.5% between 25 and 49 and 7.1% were 50 years of age or over.

 

Among the unemployed, 18.8% had been searching for their first job and 25.2% were head of the household. In relation to the job searching period, 24.4% had been searching for work for a period no longer than 30 days; 49.3%, for between 31 days and 6 months; 7.6% for a period between 7 and 11 months; and 18.6% for a period of at least 1 year. In July 2006, 47.7% of the unemployed persons had at finished at least high school; in July 2007, 49.8%; and in the last survey, 54.3%.

 

EMPLOYED PERSONS (PO)

 

In July 2008, the number of employed persons (21.7 million) in the group of six metropolitan areas, did not undergo any statistically significant change in relation to the previous month; however, it increased by 4.0% (with about 836 thousand new jobs) in relation to July 2007.   

 

Compared to June, there was stability in all the areas. In the annual comparison, there were changes in Recife (2.9%), Belo Horizonte (3.8%), Rio de Janeiro (2.5%), São Paulo (5.7%) and Porto Alegre (5.4%).

 

The level of occupation⁵ (52.4%) in the group of six metropolitan areas was statistically stable in the monthly comparison and increased 0.9 percentage points in relation to July 2007. By area, in comparison with the previous month, there was positive change of this indicator in the metropolitan areas of de São Paulo (1.6 percentage points) and Porto Alegre (1.9 percentage points). In Salvador, there was decrease of 1.4 percentage points

 

Men accounted for 55.2% of the employed population and women, for 44.8%. The population aged 25 to 49 years represented by 62.2% of the total number of employed persons. The survey revealed that the percentage of employed persons with 11 or more years of schooling was 55.3%.

 

In July 2008, 50.2% of the employed population had an average of 40 to 44 working hours per week and about 32.2%, more than 45 hours per week. On average, 67.0% of the workers in the six metropolitan areas surveyed had had that job for at least 2 years; 11.0% for between 1 year and less than 2 years; 20.1% for between 1 month and 1 year and only 1.8% had been in that job for less than 1 month.

 

Results in relation to the main groups of activity

 

In relation to July 2007, occupation increased most significantly in the following groups of activity: Mining and quarrying industry, manufacturing industry and distribution of electricity, gas and water (5.8%); Services rendered to enterprises, rents, real estate and financial mediation (4.9%); Education, health, social services, public administration, defense and social security (4.4%) and Other services (7.4%). In the monthly comparison, there was not significant change of this figure. 

 

Analysis of the participation of workers in the job market

 

Workers WITH a formal contract in the private sector⁶ (43.8% of the PO) In relation to June, there was stability. Compared to July 2007, increase of 7.8%.

 

In the analysis by area, in the monthly comparison, there was increase in Porto Alegre (3.1%). In relation to July 2007, there was increase in Recife and Belo Horizonte (both with 6.0%), São Paulo (10.3%) and Porto Alegre (12.3%).

 

Workers WITHOUT a formal contract in the private sector⁶ (13.8% of the PO). There was stability, both in the monthly and in the annual comparison.

 

In the regional analysis, there was increase in Recife (18.5%), compared to June, and stability, in the annual comparison, in all the areas surveyed.

 

Military and civil servants (7.4% of the PO) There was stability in all the six metropolitan areas surveyed, in both periods analyzed.

 

In the analysis by area, there was stability in all the areas, in comparison with the previous month; in relation to July last year, this result increased in Belo Horizonte (22.1%).

 

Own-account workers (18.5% of the PO) There was stability in both periods of comparison, in the group of six areas.

 

In the regional analysis, there was stability in relation to June. In comparison with July 2007, there was increase of 10.3% in Recife and decrease of 8.1% in Salvador.

 

AVERAGE REAL INCOME⁷

 

The survey estimated that, in July 2008, for the group of six metropolitan areas, the average real income usually earned by workers was R$ 1,224.40, resulting in stability in relation to last June. In comparison with July 2007, there was recovery (3.0%).

 

In the analysis by area, compared to the pervious month, there were hikes in Recife (1.9%), Belo Horizonte (2.4%) and Rio de Janeiro (0.5%) and decreases in São Paulo (0.4%) and Porto Alegre (1.2%), and stability in Salvador. In the annual comparison, there were increases in Salvador (6.7%), Belo Horizonte (3.7%), Rio de Janeiro (4.8%) and São Paulo (2.8%), and decreases in Recife (4.5%) and Porto Alegre (0.9%).

 

 

Analysis of the real income of workers by group of activity

In comparison with June 2008:

increase of the average real income of workers in the following groups of activity: mining and quarrying industry, manufacturing industry and distribution of electricity, gas and water (0.9%); construction (4.6%); services rendered to enterprises, rents, real estate and financial mediation (0.7%); education, health, social services, public administration, defense and social security and other services (1.1%) and domestic services (1.0%).

 

decrease of the average real income of workers in the following groups of activity: trade, repair of automotive vehicles and of personal and domestic objects and retail trade of fuels (3,0%) and other services (2.2%).

 

In comparison with June 2007:

 

increase of the average real income of workers in the following groups of activity: mining and quarrying industry, manufacturing industry and distribution of electricity, gas and water (3.6%); construction (4.3%); trade, repair of automotive vehicles and of personal and domestic objects and retail trade of fuels, services rendered to enterprises, rents, real estate and financial mediation (2.5%); education, health, social services, public administration, defense and social security (4.5%); domestic services (5.0%) and other services (0.7%).

 

stability of the average real income of workers in the group services rendered to enterprises, rents, real estate and financial mediation

AVERAGE REAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME PER CAPITA⁸

 

PME estimated, for July 2008, average real income per capita of R$ 801.10 for the group of six areas. This figure was stable in comparison with June and increased 6.7% in relation to July last year.

 

In relation to June, the average income increased in Recife (2.1%), Belo Horizonte (2.8%) and in Rio de Janeiro (1.2%).There was decrease in São Paulo (-1.4%) and stability in Salvador and Porto Alegre. Compared to July 2007, there was recovery in Salvador (3.8%), Belo Horizonte (6.2%), Rio de Janeiro (9.1%), São Paulo (8.2%) and Porto Alegre (1.1%). Only Recife faced decrease in its performance (-7.0%).

 

 VOLUME OF REAL INCOME EARNED BY THE EMPLOYEDPOPULATION⁹

 

The volume of real income earned by the population was estimated as R$ 26.5 billion, based on the Monthly Employment Survey of July 2008 (with June as its month of reference), for the group of six metropolitan areas surveyed. There was decline in relation to May 2008 (-0.6%) and increase of 8.2% in relation to July 2007.

 

In comparison with last May, there was decrease of the volume of income of the Metropolitan area of São Paulo (2.0%), increases in Recife and in Belo Horizonte (1.8% and 2.8%, respectively) and stability in Salvador, Rio de Janeiro e Porto Alegre. In comparison with June 2007, there was increase in Salvador (4.1%), Belo Horizonte (6.3%), Rio de Janeiro (9.3%), São Paulo (10.7%) and Porto Alegre (8.3%). The only metropolitan area to face decline in the annual comparison was Recife (-4.1%).

 

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¹ Real income earned is the income of the month before the month of data collection

 ² Proportion of unemployed persons in relation to the economically active age

 ³ São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Recife and Porto Alegre

 ⁴ Persons who were not working, were available to work in the week of reference and had taken action in order to find a job in the thirty days before the week in which they answered the survey

 ⁵ Proportion of persons employed in relation to the persons at active age

 ⁶ Except domestic workers, domestic workers, military and civil servants and other

 ⁷ Income usually earned. For the calculation of real income, the deflator used for each area is the Consumer Price Index – INPC of the respective metropolitan area, produced by IBGE. For the income of the six metropolitan areas, the deflator is the weighting average of the price indexes in these regions. The weighting variable is the resident population in the urban area of the metropolitan area.

  ⁸ Division of the monthly household income from work by the number of members of the housing unit, except for those in which the condition in the housing unit is pension-receiver, domestic worker or relative of the domestic worker.

 ⁹ Sum of the income effectively earned from all the activities in the month of reference of the survey  (month before the release)