The unemployment rate in March was 0.5percentage points above the figure in February (8.5%) and remained stable compared to March 2008 (8.6%). The unemployed population (2.1 million) had total increase by 141 thousand persons (7.3%) compared to February, and by 130 thousand persons (6.7%) when compared to March 2008. The change in the employed population (21.0 million) was not statistically significant (9 thousand persons more) in relation to the result of the annual comparison (184 thousand persons more). The number of workers with a formal contract in the private sector (9.3 million) remained statistically stable (48 thousand persons less) in the month and increased (2.5% or 229 thousand persons more) in the year.

The real average income of workers (R$ 1,321.40) was stable in the month and increased 5.0% compared to March 2008. The average real income per capita (R$ 850.81)increased 1.7% in the month and 4.5% in the year. The volume of real income of the employed population (R$ 27.4 billion) faced decrease of 0.6% in the month and increase (5.4%) compared to the result in February 2008.

In March 2009, the unemployment rate¹ estimated by IBGE’s Monthly Employment Survey was 9.0% for the group of six metropolitan areas surveyed² increased by 0.5 percentage points in relation to February (8.5%) and remained stable compared to March 2008 (8.6%).

The unemployed population³ (2.1 million), in the group of six metropolitan areas surveyed, increased by 141 thousand persons (7.3%) in relation to February and by over 130 thousand persons (6.7%) if compared to March 2008.  By area, there was significant change in the Metropolitan Area of Recife

(17.2%) in relation to the previous year, and, in the annual comparison, there was increase in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (15.0%). 

EMPLOYED PERSONS (PO)

The employed population (21.0 million), in the group of six Metropolitan Areas surveyed, did not present any statistically significant change in the monthly comparison (9 thousand persons more) and in the annual comparison (148 thousand persons more). By area, in relation to the previous month, the estimated number of persons employed remained stable. In the annual comparison, there were increases in Recife (3.9%) and Salvador (4.0%).

Results of the main groups of activity:

Mining and quarrying industry, manufacturing industry and distribution of electricity, gas and water (16.4% of the PO) There was stability both in the monthly comparison and in the annual one, as well as in the analysis by area for both comparisons.

Construction (7.4% of the PO) In the group of six areas, there was stability in both periods of comparison, as well as in the analysis by area.

Trade, repair of automotive vehicles and of personal and domestic objects and retail trade of fuels (19.3% of the PO) In the group of six areas, there was stability in both periods. In the analysis by area, there was stability in comparison with the previous year. In the March 2009/March 2008 comparison, there was hike in Recife (9.7%) and in Belo Horizonte (7.9%).

Services rendered to enterprises, rents, real estate activities and financial mediation (15.2% of the PO) In the total of six areas, there was stability in both periods. In the analysis by area, there was no change in the monthly comparison. In the annual comparison, there was increase in the metropolitan area of Salvador (15.8%).

Education, health, social services, public administration, defense and social security (16.3% of the PO) In the group of six metropolitan areas, there was stability in the monthly comparison. In the annual comparison, the group had increase of 3.6%. In the analysis by area, there was increase of the number of persons employed in Recife (9.5%), in the monthly comparison, and in the annual comparison, in São Paulo (7.0%).

Domestic services (7.8% of the PO) There was stability in both periods analyzed. In the analysis by region, there was stability, in both comparisons.

Other services (lodging and feeding, transportation, storage and communications, urban cleaning, associate, recreational, cultural and sports activities, personal services) (17.2% of the PO) There was stability both in the monthly and in the annual comparison.

Analysis of the type of participation of workers in the job market:

Workers WITH a formal contract in the private sector (except domestic workers, military and civil servants and others) (44.5% of the PO) In relation to February, there was stability, and compared to March 2008, there was increase of 2.5%. By area, in the month, there was increase in Salvador (4.6%) and decrease in Rio de Janeiro (4.3%). Em relação a março de 2008, ocorreram elevações em Recife (5,8%), Salvador (5,9%) e Belo Horizonte (5,6%).

Workers WITHOUT a formal contract in the private sector (except domestic workers, military and civil servants and others) (12.5% of the PO) There was stability in the monthly and annual comparisons. In the analysis by area, there was decline in the metropolitan area of Salvador compared to February (8.2%). In the monthly comparison, there was decline in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro (12.7%).

Military or civil servants (7.9% of the PO) This number of workers increased in the group of six metropolitan areas surveyed, compared to February (4.2%) and compared to March 2008, there was stability. In the analysis by area, there was hike in São Paulo, compared to February (9.1%). In relation to March 2008, no change was observed.

Own-account workers (18.8% of the PO) In both periods of comparison, this number of workers remained stable. Ion the analysis by area, there was stability of this estimate in both periods analyzed.

AVERAGE REAL INCOME⁴

In March, the average real income usually earned by workers (R$ 1,321.40) remained practically stable when compared to February 2009 (R$ 1,323.86), but increased 5.0% in relation to March 2008 (R$ 1,258.59).

In the analysis by area, compared to the previous month, there was increase of the income of the metropolitan areas of Salvador (2.2%) and Rio de Janeiro (2.3%), whereas there was decrease in Recife (3.5%), Belo Horizonte (1.7%), São Paulo (1.0%) and Porto Alegre (0.5%). In the annual comparison, there were rising results in five areas: Salvador (4.4%), Belo Horizonte (3.2%), Rio de Janeiro (9.2%), São Paulo (4.7%) and Porto Alegre (1.5%). There was decrease in the income of Recife (2.1%).

Workers WITH a formal contract in the private sector (R$ 1,261.80) There was decrease of 1.2% in the month and 4.7% in the year. By area, in the month there was no increase of income in the metropolitan areas of Recife (1.7%), Rio de Janeiro (1.3%) and Porto Alegre (3.2%). There was decrease in Salvador (0.5%) and São Paulo (3.5%) and stability in Belo Horizonte. By area, in the year, for the workers of Belo Horizonte (2.4%), Rio de Janeiro (12.8%), São Paulo (3.6%) and Porto Alegre (1.6%) there were increases of income. The decreases in Recife and Salvador were 1.2% and 0.5%, respectively. 

Workers WITHOUT a formal contract in the private sector (R$ 867.10) There was increase of 1.1%, in the month and of 8.0% in the year. In the month, there was decrease of income in the metropolitan areas of Recife (6.3%), Belo Horizonte (6.0%), Rio de Janeiro (6.2%) and Porto Alegre (3.2%). There were increases in Salvador (4.7%) and in São Paulo (5.3%). In the year, for the workers of the metropolitan areas of Salvador (16.0%), Rio de Janeiro (7.2%) and São Paulo (11.3%) there was increase of income. Decreases were observed in the metropolitan areas of Belo Horizonte (2.7%) and Porto Alegre (5.6%); in Recife, there was stability.

Military or civil servants (R$ 2,288.30) There was decrease of 0.6% in the month and increase of 7.0% in the year. In the month, there was increase of income in the metropolitan areas of Salvador (1.9%) and Porto Alegre (5.6%). There were decreases in Recife (10.1%), Belo Horizonte (2.7%) and São Paulo (1.0%). There was stability in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro. In the year, there was increase of income in Salvador (3.3%), Rio de Janeiro (20.3%), São Paulo (2.6%) and Porto Alegre (3.3%). Income decreased in Recife (9.1%) and Belo Horizonte (1.5%).

Own-account workers (R$ 1.102.10) There was increase of 0.7% in the month and 2.9% in the year. In the month, in the metropolitan areas of Recife (5.1%), Belo Horizonte (2.4%), São Paulo (1.8%), income increased. There was decrease in Salvador (2.2%) and Porto Alegre (3.7%) and stability in Rio de Janeiro. In the year, there was recovery in the income of the metropolitan areas of Recife (2.4%), Salvador (5.0%), Belo Horizonte (6.9%), São Paulo (12.3%) and Porto Alegre (9.9%). In Rio de Janeiro, there was decrease (12.2%).

In March 2009, in the group of six areas, the average real household income per capita (R$ 850.81) increased in relation to February (1.7%) and in the year (4.5%).

In the analysis by area, in relation to February, there was increase in the metropolitan areas of Salvador (2.1%), Rio de Janeiro (1.0%), São Paulo (3.2%) and Porto Alegre (0.6%). A trend to decrease was observed in Recife (4.6%) and Belo Horizonte (1.0%). Compared to March 2008, there was recovery in Salvador (8.4%), Belo Horizonte (1.0%), Rio de Janeiro (7.3%), São Paulo (4.3%) and Porto Alegre (2.5%). There was stability in Recife.

VOLUME OF REAL INCOME OF THE EMPLOYED POPULATION⁶

The volume of real income received by the employed population (R$ 27.4 billion) estimated by the Monthly Employment Survey of March 2009 (reference month: February 2009), showed decrease in relation to January (0.6%) and increase compared to February 2008 (5.4%).

Compared to January, there was decrease of income in the following metropolitan areas: Recife (4.2%), Belo Horizonte (0.9%) and São Paulo (1.2%). There was increase in (1.2%), Rio de Janeiro (0.5%) and Porto Alegre (0.7%). Compared to February 2008, there were decreases in the following metropolitan areas: Salvador (8.4%), Belo Horizonte (3.4%), Rio de Janeiro (7.8%), São Paulo (5.7%) and Porto Alegre (0.5%). There was decrease in Recife (1.5%).

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¹ Proportion of unemployed persons in relation to the economically-active population.

 ² São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Recife, Salvador and Porto Alegre.

 ³ Persons who were not working, were available to work in the week of reference and had taken action in order to get a job in the 30 days before the week in which they participated in the survey.

  ⁴ Income usually earned. The deflator used for the calculation of the real income for each area is the Consumer Price Index of the metropolitan area produced by IBGE.  In order to calculate the income of the total six metropolitan areas covered by the survey, the deflator is the weighting average of the price indexes of these areas.  The weighting variable is the resident population in the urban area of the metropolitan area.

  ⁵ Division of the household monthly income from work by the number of members of the household unit, except for pension-receivers, domestic workers or relatives of domestic workers.

  ⁶ Sum of the income effectively earned from all the activities in the month of reference of the survey (month before the release).