The unemployment rate was statistically stable in relation to September (6.2%) and fell 1.4 percentage point in relation to October 2009 (7.5%). It was the lowest rate of the whole PME series, initiated in March 2002. The unemployed population (1.4 million people) was stable in relation to September and had a significant fall (-17.6% or 309 thousand less people looking for a job) in the comparison with October 2009. The employed population (22.3 million) was stable in relation to September and had a rise of 3.9% in relation to October 2009 (or 841 thousand more jobs). The number of workers with a formal contract (10.3 million) was stable in the analysis by month. In the annual comparison it increased 8.4% (or 805 thousand more jobs with formal contracts). The average real income usually earned by workers (R$ 1,515.40) was statistically stable in the comparison by month and grew 6.5% in the year. The volume of average real income usually earned (R$ 34.3 billion) in October 2010 grew 0.8% in relation to September and 10.8% in relation to October of last year. The volume of average real income actually earned by employed people, calculated in September 2010 (R$ 34.1 billion), increased 1.0% in the month and 11.1% in the year.

Unemployment rate – September 2009 to October 2010

The unemployment rate of October (6.1%) was the lowest since the beginning of the survey series initiated in March 2002 for the group of six metropolitan areas. This rate was considered stable in comparison to that observed in September (6.2%). In the annual confrontation (7.5%) this indicator decreased 1.4 percentage point.

The average unemployment rate from January to October was estimated in 7.0%, recording the decrease of 1.3 percentage point in comparison to the same period of last year (8.3%).

In the analysis by region, the unemployment rate did not present a significant variation in relation to the previous month. In the annual analysis declines were registered in Recife (1.5 p.p.), Belo Horizonte (0.8 p.p.), São Paulo (2.7 p.p.) and Porto Alegre (1.4 p.p.). In Salvador and Rio de Janeiro, the rate was stable.

The contingent of unemployed people, estimated in 1.4 million in the group of six investigated areas, did not vary in relation to September. Compared to October 2009, it presented an expressive decrease (17.6%), that is, 309 thousand less people in this status.

The employed population (22.3 million in October 2010 in the group of six areas) did not present variation in relation to last September, but grew 3.9% in comparison to October of last year (or 841thousand more jobs in a one-year period).

In the monthly comparison, the contingent of employed people remained stable in all groups of activity, except for Trade; repair of automotive vehicles, personal and domestic objects; and retail trade of fuels, with a rise of 2.5%. In relation to October 2009, the four groups of activity presented a significant variation. There were rises in Services rendered to enterprises, rent, real estate activities and financial intermediation (4.7%), Education, health, social services, public administration, defense and social security (7.4%) and Other services (8.2%). Domestic services experienced decrease (-5.1%).

The average real income usually earned by workers, calculated in October 2010 (R$ 1,515.40) in the group of six areas, presented stability in the comparison by month. In comparison to October of last year, the purchasing power of the average income from employed people increased 6.5%.

The table below shows income by category of occupation:

The following table shows household income per capita:

The table below shows income by group of activity: