The unemployment rate (12.1%) of the moving quarter from August to October 2021 retreated 1.6 percentage points (p.p.) in relation to the quarter between May and July 2021 (13.7%) and 2.5 p.p. against the same moving quarter of 2020 (14.6%).

The unemployed population (12.9 million persons) fell 10.4% (less 1.5 million persons) against the quarter ended in July (14.4 million persons) and 11.3% (less 1.7 million persons) over the same moving quarter of 2020 (14.6 million unemployed persons).

The employed population (94.0 million persons) grew 3.6% (more 3.3 million persons) in relation to the previous moving quarter and 10.2% (more 8.7 million persons) against the same moving quarter of 2020.

The employment-population ratio - percentage of employed persons in the population at working age - was estimated at 54.6%. It rose 1.8 p.p. over the quarter between May and July 2021 (52.8%) and 4.6 p.p. over the same period a year ago (50.0%).

The composite underutilization rate (25.7%) fell 2.1 p.p. in relation to the quarter between May and July 2021 (27.9%) and 3.8 p.p. compared with the same quarter of 2020 (29.6%).

The underutilized population (29.9 million persons) decreased 6.5% (less 2.1 million persons) over the previous quarter (32.0 million persons) and 9.6% (less 3.2 million persons) compared with the same quarter of 2020 (33.1 million underutilized persons).

The time-related underemployed population (7.7 million persons) remained stable in relation to the previous quarter (7.8 million persons) and grew 17.7% in relation to the same quarter last year (6.5 million persons).

The population out of the workforce (65.2 million persons) dropped 2.1% (less 1.4 million persons) over the previous quarter and 7.7% (less 5.4 million persons) in the annual comparison.

The discouraged population (5.1 million persons) reduced 3.8% (less 199 thousand persons) over the previous quarter and 11.9% (less 683 thousand persons) over the same period of 2020.

The percentage of discouraged persons in the workforce (4.5%) dropped in relation to the previous quarter (4.8%) and also retreated against the same quarter of 2020 (5.5%).

The number of persons employed with a formal contract in the private sector (excluding domestic workers) reached 33.9 million persons, an increase of 4.1% (more 1.3 million persons) against the previous quarter and of 8.1% (more 2.6 million persons) over 2020.

The number of persons employed without a formal contract in the private sector (12.0 million persons) rose 9.5% (1.0 million persons) in relation to the previous quarter and 19.8% (2.0 million persons) against the same quarter of 2020.

The number of self-employed workers (25.6 million persons) grew 2.6% (638 thousand persons) in the monthly comparison and 15.8% (3.5 million persons) in the annual comparison.

 The number of domestic workers (5.5 million) increased by 7.8% (more 400 thousand persons) in the quarter and by 22.3% (more 1 million persons) in the year.

The informality rate was 40.7% of the employed population or 38.2 million informal workers. That rate had been 40.2% in the previous quarter and 38.4% in the same quarter of 2020.

The usual real earnings (R$2,449) fell 4.6% over the previous quarter and 11.1% over the same quarter of 2020.

The usual real wage bill (R$225.0 billion) remained stable in both comparisons.

Estimated at 106.9 million persons in the moving quarter from August to October 2021, the workforce (employed and unemployed persons) grew 1.7% (1.8 million persons) against the quarter between May and July 2021 and 7.0% (7.0 million persons) over the same quarter of 2020.

Employment grew is six out of ten activity groups against the previous moving quarter: General industry (4.6% or more 535 thousand persons), Construction (6.5% or more 456 thousand persons), Trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (6.4% or more 1.1 million persons), Lodging and food (11.0% or more 304 thousand persons) and Domestic services (7.8% or more 401 thousand persons).

Employment grew in nine groups against the same moving quarter of 2020: Agriculture, livestock, forestry, fishing and aquaculture (7.8% or more 645 thousand persons), General Industry (8.4% or more 950 thousand persons), Construction (19.2% or more 1.2 million persons), Trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (10.9% or more 1.8 million persons), Transportation, storage and mailing (11.7% or more 509 thousand persons), Lodging and food (26.3% or more 1.0 million persons), Information, communication and financial, real estate, professional and administrative activities (8.4% or more 861 thousand persons), Other services (11.4% or more 471 thousand persons) and Domestic services (21.1% or more 1 million persons).

No activity group grew in usual real average earnings against the previous quarter, though three reductions were in: General industry (-4.1%), Trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (-2.8%) and Public administration, defense, social security, education, human health and social services (-7.1%). The other seven groups did not post any statistically-significant change.

Earnings did not grow in any group in the annual comparison, though six of them reduced: Industry (-16.1%), Construction (-7.4%), Trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (10.0%), Information, communication and financial, real estate, professional and administrative activities (-9.3%), Public administration, defense, social security, education, human health and social services (-11.6%) and Domestic services (-5.1%).

In the quarterly comparison, three employment types had their earnings reduced: Persons employed with a formal contract (-3.6%), Persons employed without a formal contract (-8.9%) and Persons employed in the public sector (-5.8%). The other three major types did not show any statistically-significant change.

The six major employment types had their earnings reduced against the same moving quarter of 2020. Persons employed with a formal contract (-8.0%), Persons employed without a formal contract (-11.9%), Domestic workers (-5.1%), Persons employed in the public sector (-10.6%), Employers (-15.0%) and Self-employed workers (-4.0%).