The unemployment rate (6.1%) rose 0.8 percentage point in relation to December (5.3%) and fell 1.1 point in relation to January 2010 (7.2%)...

The unemployment rate (6.1%) rose 0.8 percentage point in relation to December (5.3%) and fell 1.1 point in relation to January 2010 (7.2%). In spite of the rise, this has been the lowest rate for a month of January since 2003. The unemployed population (1.423 million) increased 13.7% in relation to December and decreased 15.6% in relation to January of last year. The employed population (22.08 million) decreased 1.6% in relation to December and increased 2.2% in relation to January 2010.

The number of workers with a formal contract (10.474 million) was stable in the month and increased 6.6% in the year. The average real income of workers (R$ 1,538.30) grew 0.5% in the month and 5.3% in the year.

The volume of average real income usually earned (R$ 34.6 billion) decreased 0.8% in the month and increased 8.4% in the year. The volume of average real income actually earned (estimated in R$ 42.9 billion for December 2010) increased 18.3% in the month and 8.6% in the year.

            Unemployment rate – December 2009 to January 2011

The graph below shows unemployment rate in the months of January, from 2003 to 2011.

In the table below, the unemployment rate in the months of January in the metropolitan areas:

Below, the income of the employed population in the months of January, from 2003 to 2011:

The next table shows income by category of occupation:

The table below shows income by group of activity:

The following table shows household income per capita: