Among 73.7 million employers, self-employed workers and employees – excluding those from the public sector and the domestic workers – in 2016, 26.0% worked in large-sized enterprises (with more than 50 persons), a percentage below that of 2015 (29.0%). The percentage of those working in small-sized enterprises (with up to 5 persons) increased to 50.1% in 2016, against 48.1% in 2015.

While 18.9% of the self-employed workers were registered in the National Directory of Legal Entities - CNPJ in 2016, this percentage was 82.0% among the employers. In 2012, the percentages of these two categories were 14.9% and 75.6%, respectively.

In 2016, 12.1% (16.9 million) of the employed persons or those previously employed were unionized, the lowest percentage in the time series, which started with 13.6% of unionized persons (2012).

In spite of the 11.3% increase in the total number of employers and self-employed workers between 2012 and 2016, the percentage of the cooperatives reduced from 6.4% in 2012 to 5.9% in 2016.

These are some of the results of the Additional Characteristics of the Labor Market module of the Continuous National Household Sample Survey.

See here the complete publication and the table plan as well, in which information can be disaggregated by Federation Unit and capital.

Percentage of employers and self-employed workers in enterprises with CNPJ increases in 2016

In 2016, 28.9% of the employers and self-employed workers worked in enterprises registered with a CNPJ, a bigger percentage than in 2012 (23.9%). This increase took place in every Major Region, though less intense in the North (3.3%). Between 2012 and 2016, the biggest percentage increases were in the Northeast (33.1%) and Southeast (21.1%).

Percentage of persons employed as employers or self-employed in the main job in enterprises registered in the
National Directory of Legal Entities, according to Major Regions - 2012, 2014, 2016

Source: IBGE. Coordenação de Trabalho e Rendimento. PNAD Contínua.

Important differences were noticed when self-employed workers were analyzed apart from employers. While 18.9% of the self-employed workers were registered in the CNPJ in 2016, this percentage was 82.0% among the employers.

In 2016, CNPJ registration was higher among women (30.0%) than among men (28.4%). The percentage of self-employed women with CNPJ registration was 20.3%, against 18.2% for men. Concerning employers, 86.1% of women were registered in the CNPJ, whereas this percentage was 80.2% among men.

 Percentage of persons employed in large-sized enterprises decreases in 2016

In 2012, 72.4 million persons were employed in the private sector, excluding those involved in domestic services. This figure reached 75.0 million in 2015, falling to 73.7 million in 2016.

Along all the years of the time series, most of these persons were employed in small-sized enterprises (1 to 5 persons), surpassing half of the employees in 2016 (50.1%). In enterprises with more than 50 persons, the percentage changed from 30.5% in 2013 and 2014, to 29.0% in 2015 and to 26.0% in 2016.

In 2016, the North (68.0%) and Northeast (61.7%) Regions posted the highest percentages of enterprises between 1 and 5 employees. In the 2012-2016 period, the proportion of persons employed in small-sized enterprises increased in every Major Region, particularly in the North (from 60.8% to 68.0%) and Central-West (from 46.0% to 51.0%).

The Southeast Region (31.8%) registered the highest percentage and the North (14.7%), the lowest one, in enterprises with at least 51 persons. Between 2012 and 2016, the percentage of persons employed in enterprises with 51 persons and more retreated in every Major Region, mainly in the North (reduction of 29.3%).

Distribution of persons employed in the private sector in the main job, excluding domestic workers,
according to the size of the enterprise - Brazil 2012/2016

Source: IBGE. Coordenação de Trabalho e Rendimento. PNAD Contínua.

 Number of unionized persons falls

Of the 139.1 million employed or previously employed persons in 2016, 12.1% of them (16.9 million) were unionized. This value was lower than that found in 2012, when 13.6% or 17.9 million persons out of the 131.5 million employed or previously employed persons were unionized.

Percentage of employed or previously employed persons who were
unionized in the week of reference, according to sex - Brazil 2012/2016

Source: IBGE. Coordenação de Trabalho e Rendimento. PNAD Contínua.

In 2012, 15.3% of men were unionized, so were 11.9% of women. In 2014, unionization among men was 14.8% and, among women, 11.9%, dropping, respectively, to 13.1% and 11.2% in 2016.

Unionization was reduced in every Major Region between 2012 and 2016. In 2016, the unionization level was higher in the South (14.2%) and Northeast (14.7%) Regions.

Percentage of cooperative employers and self-employed workers drops

In spite of the increase of 11.3% in the total number of employers and self-employed workers in the main job between 2012 and 2016 – changing from 24.0 million to 26.8 million –, the percentage of persons associated to labor or production cooperatives retreated, changing from 6.4% in 2012 to 5.9% in 2016.

In 2012, 7.2% of men and 4.5% of women who were either employers or self-employed workers were cooperative workers. In 2016, these percentages changed to 6.4% and 4.7%, respectively. In the 2012-2016 period, the difference between cooperative men and women reduced by 1.7 percentage points.

Between 2012 and 2016, the South was the region that recorded the highest percentage of workers associated with either a labor or production cooperative. The Central-West (0.8%) was the only Major Region that increased the percentage of cooperatives in this period.

Men work more at night than women

Between 2012 and 2016, the percentage of employed persons in Brazil who worked only in the day shift remained above 90%. In 2016, 94.4% of women worked in this shift, while this proportion was 90.9% among men.

The South Region posted the highest proportion of persons employed in the day shift (93.0%) in 2016, followed by the Central-West and Southeast (92.4%), North (92.3%) and Northeast (92.0%).