Employment in Brazil - statistics & facts
Furthermore, these figures take into account the informal labor market in the South American country. In 2022, around 39 percent of the entire employed population worked in informal jobs, i.e., jobs that are not taxed or monitored by government agencies.
Employment and market figures
The labor market in Brazil is geared towards the tertiary sector of the economy. Around 70 percent of all employment in Brazil is in the service industry. In 2021, around 12 million Brazilian residents were employed in the retail and trade sector alone. In the same year, around 1.2 million people worked in the IT market. However, although smaller, the primary sector has grown in recent years. From 2010 to 2018, the agriculture segment saw a decrease in its share of workers and, since 2018, has seen an increase in the number of employees. In 2021, this figure was over 624,000 people.
However, the internal labor market is not always enough. In the second quarter of 2023, there were 5.2 million people who met the criteria to be categorized as underemployed due to insufficient working hours. In addition, approximately three million Brazilians had two or more jobs. Others choose to work remotely for companies outside the country, 53 percent of whom live in the southwest region of Brazil.
Income disparity
Brazil is one of the Latin American and Caribbean countries with the highest gender gap based on income. In 2022, women earned 617 Brazilian reals less than men. Moreover, the disparity in wages extends beyond the distinction of gender. In 2022, the northeast had the lowest average monthly income per person, with 1,812 reais, while in the west-central region the monthly income was over 3,000 reais. Ethnicity is another factor of inequality: in 2023, 59 percent of business owners earning up to two minimum salaries were black, while 72 percent of higher income business owners were white.