The unemployment rate was estimated at 5.1% in February 2014 for the group of six metropolitan areas surveyed. That is the lowest rate for a month of February since the beginning of the time series, in 2002.  In comparison with the January result (4.8%), the rate recorded a hike of 0.3 percentage points. In comparison with February last year (5.6%), the indicator fell 0.5 percentage points. The unemployed population (1.2 million persons) recorded increase of 6.9% over the January result.  In relation to February 2013, this figure was 8.3% smaller.  The employed population (23 million) points to stability in relation to January 2014.  This indicator did not record any significant change in comparison with that of February last year.   The number of workers with a formal contract in the private sector (11.7 million) did not record any change in comparison with results of last January and February 2013.

The average usual real earnings of the employed population (R$ 2,015.60) got 0.8% bigger in relation to last month’s figure (R$ 2,000.53) and 3.1% above that of February 2013 (R$ 1,954.99). The usual real wage bill (R$ 47.1 billion) rose 1.0% over that of January and 4.1% over that of February 2013. The actual real wage bill of the employed population (R$ 47.7 billion), estimated in January 2014, fell 16.7% in the month and rose 5.8% in the year.

The Monthly Employment Survey is conducted in the metropolitan areas of Recife, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Porto Alegre. The complete publication is available at www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/indicadores/trabalhoerendimento/pme_nova/.

Unemployment rises from 8.0% to 9.0% in the metropolitan area of Salvador

By area, the unemployment rate recorded significant change from January (8.0%) to February (9.0%) in the metropolitan area of Salvador. In relation to February 2013, the rate increased 2.8 percentage points in Salvador. There was decrease of 1.0 percentage points in São Paulo and of 0.7 percentage points in Rio de Janeiro, being stable in the other areas.

The number of unemployed persons in February 2014 was estimated at 1.2 million persons in the group of six metropolitan areas, recording increase of 6.9% versus December. In relation to February 2013, this figure was 8.3% smaller. In the analysis by area, the number of unemployed persons, in comparison with last July, remained stable in all the areas. Compared with February 2013, there was rise of 52.0% in the metropolitan area of Salvador, and decline in Rio de Janeiro (16.2%) and in São Paulo (16.1%).

Employment population ratio stays at 53.3%

The employment population ratio (proportion of employed persons in relation to those at active age) was estimated in February 2014 at 53.3% for the group of six metropolitan areas, presenting decrease of 0.4 percentage points in comparison with the previous year. Versus February 2013 (54.0%), this indicator fell by 0.7 percentage points. By area, in the monthly comparison, there was decrease in Belo Horizonte and in Rio de Janeiro (1.0 and 0.8 percentage points, respectively. In comparison with February last year, these two areas also recorded decrease (1.5 and 1.1 percentage points, respectively).

In the analysis of the number of employed persons by activity group , for the group of six metropolitan areas, from January to February 2014, there was significant change in the group of trade, repair of motor vehicles and of personal and domestic objects and retail trade of fuels (decrease of 2.5%). In comparison with February 2013, there was stability in all the groups.

In the annual comparison, average earnings increased in four of the six metropolitan areas

By area, in relation to January 2014, real earnings increased in the metropolitan areas of Salvador (10.4%), Belo Horizonte (0.5%), Rio de Janeiro (0.5%) and São Paulo (0.4%). The rate remained stable in Recife and fell in Porto Alegre (1.3%) In comparison with February 2013, there was rise in all the areas.

The average usual real wage bill of employed persons was estimated at 47.1 billion in February 2014, being 1.0% higher than in January. In comparison with February last year this estimate rose 4.1%.

In the classification by activity group, for the total of six areas, the biggest increase in the average usual real earnings versus figures of January 2014 came from construction (5.1%), and the biggest decrease fromeducation, health, social services, public administration, defense and social security (-0.6%). In the annual comparison, there was increase of 6.1% intrade, repair of motor vehicles and of personal and domestic objects and retail trade of fuels.

In the classification by categories of employment type, the biggest increase in the average usual real earnings was that ofworkers without a formal contract in the private sector (1.5%) in the monthly comparison, and self-employed persons (6.3%) in the annual comparison.