Industrial employment down 1% in June

The total population employed by Brazil's industrial sector dropped 1% in June compared to May. This has been the sixth consecutive decline, amounting to a cumulative 4.1% decline in the year so far, according to the Monthly Survey of Industrial Employment and Wages (PIMES) released today (Aug. 19) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

Compared to June 2014, salaried employed personnel shrank 6.3%. Declines were also seen in the cumulative figures for the year to date (-5.2%) and the past 12-month period (-4.6%).

The 6.3% year-over-year decrease was driven by falling industrial employment levels in the 18 industries surveyed by IBGE, notably transport (-11.4%), electronic, electrical, and telecom appliances (-13.9%), metal products (-11.8%), machinery and equipment (-8.9%) and food and beverages (-3%).

The number of hours paid per salaried person also dropped in all four indicators, going down 0.6% compared to May 2015, 6.3% compared to June 2014, 5.8% in the year so far, and 5.3% in the past 12 months.

The real payroll value rose 1.3% compared to May, but dropped compared to June 2014 (-7.1%), in the year-to-date period (-6.1%) and in the past 12-month period (-4.7%).

Translated by Mayra Borges