Brazil added 121,300 formal jobs in September, a 43% decline compared with the same month last year. The figure was the lowest for September since the New Caged series began in 2020, according to data released Wednesday by the Labor Ministry.
September’s balance was also below the 299,700 formal jobs added in the same month of 2020, when the labor market was facing the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Employers made 2.214 million hires and recorded 2.09 million dismissals.
Formal job creation totaled 1.2 million from January through September, the weakest result for that period since 2020, when the balance was negative. April through August also saw the lowest job gains for each respective month since 2020, pointing to a slowdown in the labor market.
Four of the major economic sectors recorded net job gains in September. Services led with 81,200 new formal positions, followed by industry with 19,300. Agriculture recorded a net loss of 4,381 jobs.
Retail trade added 9,435 jobs in September but remained down 31,600 formal positions for the year to date.
Rio Grande do Sul was the only state to record a decline in formal jobs, with a 0.1% drop. The decrease was driven by losses in tobacco product manufacturing and retail trade. The largest monthly increases were in Alagoas, at 2.47%, followed by Amapá at 1.35% and Roraima at 1.23%.
From January to September, Amapá had the largest increase in formal employment, at 7.75%. Roraima followed with 4.54%, and Piauí with 4.52%.
Sources: Folha Mercado.