Luiz Marinho says government actions against tariffs will preserve jobs and expand markets.

247 - The Minister of Labor and Employment, Luiz Marinho, stated that the measures adopted by the Federal Government to mitigate the increase in tariffs imposed by the United States on Brazilian products tend to preserve the dynamism of employment and accelerate the opening of new export destinations. This information was given in an interview on the program "Bom Dia, Ministro" (Good Morning, Minister).

Marinho emphasized that the official strategy combines emergency and structural actions.I don't see the impact as being that alarming. I think the Brazilian job market is adequate, and we will be able to handle this situation and provide the necessary support to companies through the provisional measure (Plano Brasil Soberano) and existing legislation."He said.

O Sovereign Brazil PlanThe package, launched on August 13th, was presented as a direct response to the unilateral 50% increase in tariffs on Brazilian goods exported to the US. The package encompasses three main areas: strengthening the productive sector, worker protection e commercial diplomacy and multilateralism, with short- and medium-term measures to cushion tariff shocks and stimulate competitiveness.

Marinho argued that the labor market picture is favorable, citing recent indicators. According to the Continuous PNAD, the unemployment rate was at 5,8% in the April-June 2025 quarter — the lowest in the series that began in 2012 — while the New Caged records 48,4 million formal employment contracts reached a historic record. In June, the country surpassed... 1,2 million jobs with formal contracts Openings in the first half of the year. When discussing the potential impacts of the new rates, the minister stated that the worst-case scenario simulated would not alter the overall employment picture. 

"If everything went wrong, the impact would be 320 job losses in Brazil, in a market with a workforce of 48 million. Obviously, some sectors would be heavily affected, others slightly affected, and others not affected at all, because they produce for other markets.“He said. He added:We are working not only to mitigate, but to actually prevent a problem in the Brazilian labor market.".

According to Marinho, Brazil's current international standing is less dependent on the US than in the past, which reduces vulnerabilities and opens up new opportunities.The Brazilian economy's dependence on the American economy was once 25%. Today it's 12%, and surely, when we move beyond that, it will be less than 12%. We will expand into other markets. In these two and a half years of Lula's government, we opened 400 new markets for Brazilian products. We grew in exports and we grew in the domestic market.”, He stated.

The minister also highlighted that the government is preparing "necessary aid" for companies most exposed to the US market, through instruments provided for in the provisional measure that supports the... Sovereign Brazil Plan and in existing legislation. The official expectation is that the package, combined with the trade diversification policy, will support the growth trajectory of formal employment and safeguard sensitive production chains.