From 2003 to 2004, the Brazilian labor market absorbed 2.7 million new workers, an increase of 3.3% in comparison with the previous period. In 2003 the increase was 1.2 million people.
These data are contained in the National Household Sample Survey, 2004 (PNAD-2004), released recently by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
According to the study, 2004’s employment level surpassed all previous levels between 1996 and 2003, although it has still not recovered the level attained in the first half of the decade of the 1990’s.
The quantity of women in the labor market rose 1.1% during the period, while the masculine contribution to the growth rate amounted to 0.79%. Nevertheless, whereas 42.4% of the women worked less than 40 hours a week, this percentage was 18.4% among men.
Women are more concentrated in domestic services, education, health, and social services, while men are more likely to work in agriculture, commerce, repair services, industry, and construction.
The study also shows that, between 2003 and 2004, the number of formal workers rose 6.6%, while the number of self-employed workers grew 6%. Manufacturing was the sector with the most significant increase in the number of formal workers (11.6%).
Agência Brasil