Unemployment up to 7.4% in three months

Brazil's unemployment rate rose to 7.4% in the period comprising December, January and February, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) reported Wednesday (Apr 9). The percentage, calculated as part of the National Household Continuous Sample Survey (“Pnad Contínua”), shows a rise in joblessness compared to the previous three-month period, and also reveals that unemployment in the quarter ending in February is higher than the same period in the previous year (6.8%). It is also the highest level since March, April and May, 2013 (7.6%)

The survey gathers information about people's participation in the labor market, taking into account data on demographics and education, as well as the country's social and economic development. For the study, the group of households surveyed is selected so that the sample is capable of representing several geographic levels. Every three months, 211,344 homes are probed across 3.5 thousand municipalities.

The research also ascertained that Brazilians' average income from December 2014 to February 2015 rose 1.1% from the previous quarter, going from $588 to $596.

Workers' total income in the country increased to $53 billion, up 2.2% against the same three-month period last year. Compared to the quarter ending in November, the surge reached 0.7%.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira