From February to March, the level of employment increased by 0.7%(seasonally adjusted series)...

From February to March, the level of employment increased by 0.7% (seasonally adjusted series) and recorded its third consecutive positive result. Compared to March 2009, the increase of employment was 2.4%, the biggest figure since August 2008 (2.5%), and the index accumulated in the year reached 0.7%. There was increase of the number of hours paid in March (1.0%) compared to the immediately previous month, in the seasonally adjusted series. In relation to the same month in the previous year, the hike reached 3.7%, the biggest figure since February 2008 (4.1%) and the index accumulated in the year was 1.8%. The real payroll of industry workers increased 1.2% from February to March (seasonally adjusted result), the third consecutive increase in the period. Compared to March 2009, the increase was 5.6%, the most significant rate since September 2008 (7.7%), resulting in an accumulated figure of 3.3% in the year.

SALARIED EMPLOYED PERSONS

In March 2010, employment in industry increased 0.7% versus the result in the previous year (seasonally adjusted series); it was the third consecutive positive result, having accumulated, in this period, increase of 1.7%. As a result, the quarterly moving average index increased 0.6% between February and March, and has been on an upward trend since August 2009. In the same series, in the analysis of a quarter versus the immediately previous quarter, the number of persons employed in industry increased 1.0% in the first three months of 2010, the third consecutive quarter with positive results, having accumulated, in this period, increase of 2.9%.

Compared to March 2009, employment in industry increased 2.4%, the second positive rate and the highest since August 2008 (2.5%0. As a result, the end of the first quarter of the year brought increase of 0.7% in comparison with the same period in the previous year. The annualized rate, the indicator accumulated in the last twelve months remained on a downward trend (-4.2%), and kept the deceleration of increase compared to results in previous years.

The result of 2.4% of the monthly indicator in March showed an overall profile of increase, with persons hired in all the areas surveyed and more persons hired in fifteen of the eighteen subsectors. Among the areas, the main positive contribution to the overall result acme from São Paulo (2.7%), followed by the Northeast Region (3.5%), Rio Grande do Sul (3.2%), Ceará (8.7%) and North and Central West Region (2.6%). In São Paulo, the most relevant subsectors to the increase of industrial employment were food products and beverages (4.7%), textiles (11.1%) and paper and printing (6.1%). In the Northeast Region, the highlight was the subsector of footwear and leather articles (18.3%), whereas, in the industry of Rio Grande do Sul, there were positive contributions from manufacturing industry (11.5%), machinery and equipment (8.3%) and rubber and plastic (12.6%). In Ceará, the activity of footwear and leather articles (23.1%) also represented the most relevant contribution, whereas the most significant impacts came from food products and beverages (5.1%) and non-metallic minerals (16.9%).

By subsector, also in comparison with the same month in the previous year, the highlights were food products and beverages (2.5%), machinery and equipment (4.5%), textiles (6.2%), footwear and leather articles (5.2%), metal products (4.2%) and means of transportation (3.1%). On the other hand, wood (-9.2%), petroleum refining and alcohol production (-3.4%) and apparel (-0.6%) were the most significant negative results this month.

Employment in industry was positive (0.7%) in the end of the first quarter of the year; there was increase of the number of workers in eleven areas and eleven subsectors. By subsector, the most significant positive contributions came from paper and printing  (6.4%), food products and beverages (1.4%), footwear and leather articles  (4.3%) and textiles (4.5%), whereas wood (-11.7%) and apparel (-2.9%) accounted for the main negative highlights. In the analysis by area, positive results came from São Paulo (1.2%), Northeast Region (2.8%) and Ceará (7.7%). On the other hand, among the places which faced decrease in the number of persons employed, Minas Gerais (-1.9%) was responsible for the main negative contribution to the overall rate.

Industrial employment increased again (0.7%) in terms of the quarterly index in March, after recording negative rates in all the quarters of 2009 (-4.0%, -6.1%, -6.7% and -4.2%). All comparisons are made versus the same quarter in the previous year. The movement of acceleration of persons hired between the last quarter last year and the first quarter this year reached fifteen subsectors and all the areas, mainly: automotive vehicles (from -10.4% to -0.7%), machinery and equipment (from -8.4% to 1.0%), metal products (from -8.3% to 0.5%), rubber and plastic (from -6.3% to1.4%) and electric machines, appliances and material (from -5.9% to 1.6%), among the subsectors; and Minas Gerais (from -9.2% to -1.9%), Espírito Santo (from -5.3% to 1.8%), North and Central West Region  (from -6.4% to -0.1%)and Rio Grande do Sul (from -5.3% to  0.6%), among the areas surveyed.

NUMBER OF HOURS PAID

The number of hours paid to industry workers in March 2010 presented increase of 1.0% in relation to February, in the seasonally adjusted series; it was the second consecutive positive result, with increase of 2.5% in the period. The quarterly moving average indicator has been on a upward tend since August 2009, after increasing 0.8% between the quarters which ended in February and March. Also considering the seasonally adjusted series, in comparison with the immediately previous quarter, the number of hours paid increased 1.5% in the first quarter of the year, having accumulated, in this period, gain of 4.0%.

The comparison with the same month in the previous year recorded increase of 3.7%, the second consecutive positive rate and the biggest figure since February 2008 (4.1%). The indicator accumulated in the first quarter of the year was also positive (1.8%), whereas the index accumulated in the last twelve months remained on a downward trend (-4.0%), but with reduced rhythm of decrease since November 2009 (-5.6%).

The number of hours paid, according to the monthly indicator, presented increase of 3.7%, with positive rates in all the fourteen areas and eighteen subsectors surveyed. In terms of subsectors, the main positive contributions came from food products and beverages (3.7%), means of transportation (8.8%), machinery and equipment (6.4%), footwear and leather articles (6.2%), non-metallic minerals (6.4%) and textiles (7.0%). On the other hand, wood (-9.6%), apparel (-0.4%) and petroleum refining and alcohol production (-1.0%) accounted for the main negative contributions in March.

Also in comparison with March 2009, the areas accounting for the main positive impacts were São Paulo (4.5%), Northeast Region (3.9%), Rio Grande do Sul (4.1%), Paraná (4.1%) and Ceará (9.5%). In São Paulo, there was increase of the number of hours paid in tem subsectors, especially food products and beverages (5.5%), means of transportation (6.7%) and paper and printing (9.3%). In the Northeast region the highlights were the increases recorded by footwear and leather articles (20.1%) and food products and beverages (3.4%). In Rio Grande do Sul, machinery and equipment (11.1%) accounted for the main positive contribution to the index, whereas in Paraná  the highlight was food products and beverages (5.8%). In Ceará, the most relevant positive impact came from footwear and leather (27.4%).

The indicator accumulated in the first quarter of 2010 increased 1.8% and reached twelve of the fourteen areas and fourteen of the eighteen activities. The most significant positive impacts came from São Paulo (2.8%), Northeast Region (2.9%), Ceará (7.7%), Rio de Janeiro (2.8%) and Paraná (1.7%), whereas the main negative contribution came from Minas Gerais (-0.5%). In the analysis by subsector, the main highlights in the of number of hours paid were those of food products and beverages (2.6%), paper and printing (7.1%), means of transportation (4.3%), machinery and equipment (3.8%) and footwear and leather articles (4.2%). On the other hand, the main negative contribution came from wood (-12.0%).

On a quarterly basis, after negative rates in all the four quarters of 2009 (-5.1%, -6.6%, -7.0% and -3.6%), there was increase of the number of hours paid in the first quarter of 2010 (1.8%); all the comparisons are made versus the same quarter in the previous year. The increase of the number of hours paid between the last quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of 2010 occurred in fifteen subsectors and in all the areas surveyed. Among the activities, the main increases were those of machinery and equipment, which changed from -9.0% to 3.8%, means of transportation (from -7.3% to 4.3%) and food products and beverages (from -0.4% to 2.6%), whereas, among the areas, Bahia (from -4.8% to 3.0%), Rio Grande do Sul (from -6.2% to 1.2%), Minas Gerais (from -7.7% to -0.5%), Espírito Santo (from -5.7% to 1.3%) and North and Central West Region (from -6.9% to -0.1%) had the biggest acceleration between the two periods.

In summary, March indexes show a positive scenario for employment in industry and for the number of hours paid, characterized by a better rhythm of increase, and by the expansion of industrial activity. In the seasonally adjusted series, the quarterly moving average indexes and the index which compares a quarter to the immediately previous quarter accelerated the increase and remained positive. Compared to the same period in the previous year, the monthly index accelerates the intensity of increase and the figure accumulated in the first quarter makes up for the losses recorded in previous ones.

REAL PAYROLL

In March 2010, the seasonally adjusted real payroll of industry workers increased 1.2% in relation to that in the immediately previous month, having accumulated gain of 9.5% in the three first months of the year. With such results, the quarterly moving average indicator increased 3.0% between February and March, having accounted for the third consecutive positive rate. In the comparison quarter versus immediately previous quarter, in the seasonally adjusted series, real payroll increased 5.0% in the period January-March 2010, after being practically stable in the fourth quarter of 2009 (0.1%).

Real payroll increased 5.6% in relation to March 2009; it was the third consecutive positive result and the highest rate since September 2008 (7.7%). The indicator accumulated in the first three months of 2010 also increased (3.3%). The annualized rate, an index accumulated in the last twelve months, changed from -2.5% in February to -1.9% in March, and has remained on an upward trend since December  2009 (-2.8%).

Considering the monthly indicator in March, real payroll increased 5.6%, with positive rates recorded in thirteen of the fourteen areas surveyed. The main positive contribution acme from São Paulo (5.1%), due to the increase of real payroll of means of transportation (7.2%), electronic machines and communication equipment (19.8%) and rubber and plastic (8.3%). It is also worth mentioning the increased observed in Rio de Janeiro (10.1%), due to the positive impacts which came from means of transportation (33.8%) and chemical products (29.3%); Minas Gerais (7.4%), due to results of means of transportation (23.3%) and metal products (24.8%); and Paraná (8.1%), due to means of transportation (18.8%) and machinery and equipment (17.1%). On the other hand, the only negative result came from Espírito Santo (-1.7%), due to the real payroll of machinery and equipment (-18.6%) and mining and quarrying industry (-4.4%).

By subsector, also in terms of the monthly indicator, real payroll increased in seventeen of the eighteen subsectors, mainly in means of transportation (11.1%), electronic machines and communication equipment (13.9%), machinery and equipment (5.5%) and chemical products (6.5%). On the other hand, wood (-9.5%) presented the only negative rate.

The indicator accumulated in the first quarter of the year increased 3.3%, with positive rates in thirteen of the fourteen areas surveyed. The most significant positive rates were those of São Paulo (2.3%), Rio de Janeiro (8.4%) and Paraná (6.3%). In these areas, the main positive impacts came, respectively, from: paper and printing (18.4%) and electronic machines and communication equipment (16.4%); means of transportation (20.0%) and chemical products (14.9%); machinery and equipment (15.7%) and chemical products (22.4%). On the contrary, Espírito Santo (-0.9%), affected by the decreases in machinery and equipment (-28.8%) and metallurgy (-6.8%), was the only area to face decrease of the index accumulated in the year. In terms of subsector, there was increase of salary volume in fourteen activities, and the main positive contributions me from paper and printing (12.9%), food products and beverages (4.3%), electronic machines and communication equipment (10.4%) and means of transportation (2.5%) as the main positive contributions. On the other hand, decrease of real payroll occurred in metallurgy (-5.0%) and wood (-9.0%).

In the analysis by quarter, from the last quarter of 2009 (-3.7%) to the first one of 2010 (3.3%), real payroll reversed a series of four negative results in 2009. This movement affected seventeen of the eighteen subsectors and thirteen of the fourteen subsectors surveyed. Among the sectors, the highlights were means of transportation, which changed from decrease of 6.8% in the last quarter of 2009 to increase of 2.5% in the first three months of 2010; chemical products (from -9.4% to 4.3%) and electronic machines and communication equipment (from -6.0% to 10.4%). Among the areas, it is worth mentioning the gains in Minas Gerais, which changed from -10.7% to 1.5%, North and Central West Region (from -4.8% to 4.3%) and Rio de Janeiro (from 0.2% to 8.4%).