Unemployment on the Rise: Eight Brazilian States Registered an Increase in the First Quarter of 2024, Reveals IBGE
Compared to the first quarter of 2023, nine states recorded declines, while none of them showed a statistically significant increase. The unemployment rate in Brazil remains at 7.9%.
Work card - Photo Reproduction/Shutterstock
The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) released this Friday (17th) data on unemployment in Brazil, especially in the first quarter of 2024. According to the survey the Continuous Quarterly National Household Sample Survey (PNAD), eight Brazilian statesthe 27 federation units (UFs) witnessed a significant increase in unemployment rates, highlighting persistent challenges for the national economy.The numbers are for the fourth quarter of 2023.
Survey
The states of Acre, Bahia, Maranhão, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and São Paulo are in the list of regions with increase. Only in Amapá was there a reduction in the unemployment rate. In the other 18 federative units, the situation remained stable compared to the immediate previous period.
Unemployment rate, by UF, compared to the previous quarter (%) - 1st quarter of 2024
Unemployment rate, by State, compared to the previous quarter (%) - 1st quarter of 2024 - Photo Reproduction/IBGE
Compared to the first quarter of 2023, there were drops in nine federative units, with no statistically significant increases in any of them. Rio Grande do Norte, Distrito Federal, Sergipe, Pernambuco, Maranhão, Rio de Janeiro, Pará, São Paulo and Espírito Santo recorded decreases in relation to 2023. The other federative units remained stable. This indicates that, in the short-term comparison, there is an influence of seasonal patterns. However, the annual downward trend, which has already been observed in other quarters, continued, analyzes Adriana Beringuy, coordinator of Household Sample Surveys at IBGE.
According to IBGE, the increase in the unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2024 did not compromise most labor market indicators compared to the previous year. At the end of the first quarter, the highest unemployment rates were recorded in Bahia (14.0%), Pernambuco (12.4%) and Amapá (10.9%). The lowest rates were observed in Rondônia (3.7%), Mato Grosso (3.7%) and Santa Catarina (3.8%).
Large Regions
In the main regions, the variation in the unemployment rate was as follows:
North:stability, from 7.7% to 8.2%;
North East:increase from 10.4% to 11.1%;
Midwest:stability, from 5.8% to 6.1%;
Southeast: high from 7.1% to 7.6%;
On the: high from 4.5% to 4.9%.
Unemployment Rate
Brazil closed the quarter ended in March with an unemployment rate of 7.9%. Compared to the previous quarter, which ended in December, there was an increase of 0.5 percentage points in unemployment, which was at 7.4%. In the same quarter of 2023, the rate was 8.8%. Despite the increase, the first quarter result was the best for the period since 2014, when the rate was 7.2%. With these results, the absolute number of unemployed people grew 6.7% compared to the previous quarter, reaching 8.6 million people. In an annual comparison, there was a drop of 8.6%.
In the first quarter of 2024, the employed population decreased by 0.8%, totaling 100.2 million people. However, in an annual comparison, there was an increase of 2.4%, with 2.4 million more people employed. When segmented by gender, women continue to have a higher unemployment rate than men.
Vacancy rate women: 9,8%;
Vacancy ratemen: 6,5%.
The distribution of unemployment by gender in large regions follows the general average. In the Northeast, the unemployment rate among women reaches 14%, while in the South, the situation is more favorable, with just 6%. In relation to race, black and brown people continue to face higher rates of unemployment. Furthermore, in the last quarter, unemployment rates increased in all regions.
Whites:5.9% to 6.2%;
Blacks: 8.9% to 9.7%;
Browns: 8.5% to 9.1%.
Income Rate
In the previous quarter, the usual real income rose 1.5%, reaching R$3,123. Year to date, growth was 4%. Analyzing by gender, men achieved a real average income of R$3,323, while women had an average of R$2,639. In relation to the states, only three showed an increase in average real income in the quarter: Bahia (5.6%), Espírito Santo (4.9%) and Paraná (3.9%). The rest remained stable. Compared to the same period in 2023, five states recorded an increase: Rio Grande do Norte (11.8%), Pará (8.7%), Mato Grosso (6.9%), Paraná (6.6%) and São Paulo (5.5%), while the others remained stable.
