This was the fourth positive result in the month/previous month comparison, with seasonal adjustment. Increase accumulated in the period was 1.7%.

This was the fourth positive result in the month/previous month comparison, with seasonal adjustment, having accumulated increase by 1.7% in the period. Still in the series without seasonal adjustment, there was increment by 0.9% in the number of hours paid and of 1.4% in real payroll.

Industrial employment in April increased by 0.5% in comparison with March, in the seasonally adjusted series; it was the fourth consecutive positive result, with increase of 1.7% between last April and December.  This increase was also confirmed by the quarterly moving average index, which had positive change of 0.4% between the quarters which ended in April and March, having accumulated gain of 0.9% between December and April.

In the comparison April 07/April 06, there was increase by 1.7%; it was the tenth consecutive positive result in this type of comparison and the highest one since May 2005. The rate accumulated from January to April was 1.4%, and in the figure accumulated last twelve months (from 0.4% in March to 0.6% in April) has remained on a growing trend since October 2006.

Considering the quarterly index (1.7%), the number of workers increased in all the areas surveyed, except in Rio Grande do Sul, in which there was decrease by 1.3%, mainly due to the reduction of employment in the sector of footwear and leather articles (-15.3%). São Paulo (2.4%), Northeast Region (2.3%) and Santa Catarina (2.7%) brought the most significant contributions to the overall result.

In São Paulo, there was increase in thirteen subsectors, especially machinery and equipment (6.5%), petroleum refining and alcohol production (22.0%) and textiles (8.1%). In the industry of the Northeast Region, the main positive contributions, among the nine increasing subsectors, came from food products and beverages (5.5%) and petroleum refining and alcohol production (34.7%). This last result was mainly due to the presence of workers in the sugar/alcohol subsector. In Santa Catarina, the most relevant impacts came from food products and beverages (7.7%) and machinery and equipment (13.4%).

In the country, there was increase of employment in most (thirteen) of the eighteen subsectors surveyed. The main positive contributions came from food products and beverages (4.4%), metal products (5.3%) s and machinery and equipment (5.0%). On the other hand, the negative highlights came from the sectors of footwear and leather articles (-5.7%) and apparel (-3.8%).  

The index accumulated in the first four quarters of the year increased by 1.4%, with twelve areas bringing positive contributions to the number of employed persons. Among these, the main highlights were: São Paulo (2.1%), Northeast Region (2.4%) and North and Central West Region (2.5%). Rio Grande do Sul (-2.8%) and Minas Gerais (-0,5%) were the only areas with negative rates. In terms of the overall figure for the country, there was increase of employment in eleven subsectors, especially food products and beverages (5.9%), metal products (4.8%) and means of transportation (4.0%), opposite to the negative pressures from footwear and leather articles (7.4%) and apparel (-5.3%).  

In summary, in 2007, industrial employment had better performances in terms of all comparisons. The comparison with the previous month (seasonally adjusted) shows a sequence of four positive rates and an upward trend of the quarterly moving average since February. In comparison with 2006, the scenario is positive, and shows acceleration of the increase rhythm of the four-month index, acceleration of the increase of  employment and of the number of hours paid  and also acceleration of the industrial activity, especially in the first four quarters of 2007. 

NUMBER OF HOURS PAID

The number of hours paid to workers of industry in April increased by 0.9% in comparison with the previous month, in the seasonally adjusted series, after decrease of 1.0% in March.  With this result, the quarterly moving average indicator changed by 0.5% between the quarters which ended in April and in March; it was the fourth consecutive positive rate, with accumulated figure of 1.0% between April and December.

In comparison with April 2006, there was increase of 1.6%. The index accumulated in the first-four months of the year was 1.0%. The indicator accumulated in the last twelve months has remained on an upward trend since September 2006 and changed from 0.5% in March, to 0.7% in April.

The number of hours paid, according to the monthly indicator, increased by 1.6%; there were positive results in twelve of the fourteen areas surveyed. In the analysis by subsector, the biggest positive contributions came from food products and beverages (5.6%), means of transportation (4.7%) and chemical products (5.0%). On the other hand, the most relevant negative impact on the overall results came from footwear and leather articles and (-7.4%) and apparel (-5.6%). 

Still in the comparison April 07/April 06, the areas with the biggest positive contributions to the national result were: São Paulo (2.1%), Northeast Region (3.0%) and Santa Catarina (2.8%).

In the industry of São Paulo, the number of hours paid increased in twelve of the eighteen activities surveyed, especially petroleum refining and alcohol production (24.5%), electronic and communication machinery and equipment (6.3%) and chemical products (4.8%). In the Northeast, food products and beverages (5.9%) and petroleum refining and alcohol production (45.7%) were the main positive highlights; in the industry of Santa Catarina, the most significant contribution came from food products and beverages (8.8%). The main negative contribution was that of Rio Grande do Sul 9-1.9%), in which footwear and leather articles (-18.4%) was the main highlight.     

The index accumulated from January to April increased by 1.0%, due, mainly, to positive contributions from ten areas and eleven subsectors. The most significant positive impacts came from São Paulo (1.3%), Northeast Region (2.4%) and North and Central West Region (2.3%). Rio Grande do Sul (-3.1%) and Minas Gerais (-1.4%) were the main negative highlights. By subsector, the main positive contributions came from food products and beverages (6.3%), means of transportation (3.6%) and metal products (3.5%). Footwear and leather articles (-9.0%) and apparel (-7.2%) were the main negative highlights.     

REAL PAYROLL

In April, the seasonally adjusted real payroll of industry increased 1.4% in relation to the immediately previous month, after decrease of 3.7% in March. The quarterly moving average indicator, having changed by 0.4% between the quarters which ended in March and in April, had the fourth consecutive positive rate, with accumulated increase of 6.7% this year.

In comparison with the equivalent period in the previous year, the results remained positive: 5.9% for the monthly indicator and 4.7% accumulated in the year. The index accumulated in the last twelve months showed the increment from March (2.3%) to April (2.7%), keeping the upward trend since December 2006.

Real payroll increased by 5.9% in relation to April in the previous year, with positive rates in the fourteen areas surveyed. The main influence came from São Paulo (6.0%), due, mainly, to the salary rise in the subsectors of chemical products (11.8%) means of transportation (6.6%) and machinery and equipment (6.0%). The participation of Rio Grande do Sul (7.8%) was also relevant, since this state contributed with metal products (44.8%), chemical products (49.5%) and food products and beverages (18.4%). The high level increase of payroll in the first sector occurred due to the number of people hired.  Concerning chemical products, the increase was due to the salary readjustment retroactive to January of food products and beverages (15.9%), mining and quarrying industry (18.9%) and machinery and equipment (12.7%).

By subsector, still considering the monthly indicator, real payroll increased in fourteen of the eighteen subsectors surveyed. The main positive impacts came from food products and beverages (8.0%), chemical products (11.0%), means of transportation (5.5%) and mining and quarrying industry (19.0%). On the other hand, the main negative contributions came from paper and printing shops (-5.1%), wood (-7.4%) and tobacco (-25.0%).

The indicator accumulated in the first four month of the year (4.7%) increased in all the areas surveyed. The main contributions to the expansion of real payroll came from São Paulo (3.5%), Northeast Region (7.9%) and Minas Gerais (6.0%).

In São Paulo, chemical products (8.5%), food products and beverages (6.5%) and non-metallic minerals (12.0%) were the most important highlights. In the Northeast Region can be mentioned food products and beverages (11.6%), petroleum refining and alcohol production (30.4%) and footwear and leather articles (9.1%). In Minas Gerais, metallurgy (7.6%), mining and quarrying industry (17.5%) and food products and beverages (10.3%).

Payroll increased in four subsectors, especially in food products and beverages (9.0%), chemical products (8.5%) and mining and quarrying industry (15.8%). On the other hand, the main negative results came from paper and printing shops (-4.3%), wood (-6.4%) and footwear and leather articles (-2.7%).