Belo Horizonte is the capital city with the lowest unemployment rate in the country.

Minas Agency - The total unemployment rate in the Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Region (RMBH) in 2012 continued its downward trend, falling from 7,0% in 2011 to 5,1%. This figure is the lowest in the historical series of the Employment and Unemployment Survey (PED-RMBH), which began in 1996. Among the seven Metropolitan Regions evaluated by the PED (Belo Horizonte, Federal District, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador, and São Paulo), Belo Horizonte has maintained the lowest unemployment rate since June 2011.

In the RMBH, the employment level increased by 2,0% in 2012, while the Economically Active Population (EAP) remained stable (2.368 thousand people). The increase of 45 thousand jobs and the stability of the EAP resulted in a reduction in the number of unemployed by 45 thousand people. The total number of unemployed was estimated at 121 thousand people and the number of employed at 2.247 thousand. The information was released this Wednesday (30) by João Pinheiro Foundation, State Secretariat of Labor and Employment (Sete), Dieese and Fundação Seade.

Comparing 2011 and 2012, open unemployment decreased from 6,0% to 4,7%, while total hidden unemployment fell from 1,0% to 0,4%. The reduction to 0,4% is unprecedented and, being so low, is no longer statistically significant. Hidden unemployment is considered to be when a person is engaged in precarious work and is looking for a new job, or when they actively sought work in the previous 12 months but stopped doing so in the last 30 days due to discouragement from the job market, but still need work.

“In the case of the RMBH (Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte), what we have observed is that the reduction in the rate is the result of the growth in all sectors, especially the construction industry, also encouraged by the fact that the capital hosted the World Cup in 2014. Another important factor for the drop in this indicator is the stability of the economically active population (PEA) for the second consecutive year, which indicates that there has not been a significant influx of people into the labor market,” explains Plínio Campos, coordinator of the PED (Employment and Unemployment Survey) at the João Pinheiro Foundation.

Sectors

The 2,0% growth in employment levels in 2012 is a result of increased employment observed in all major sectors analyzed. The service sector grew by 1,5%, with 19 more jobs during the year; construction showed an increase of 7,9% (15 new jobs); the trade and vehicle repair sector saw an increase of 2,7%, with 11 jobs; and the manufacturing industry grew by 1,4% (4 new jobs).

In the private sector, there was an increase of 56 (5,1%) among employees with formal contracts and a reduction of 10 jobs among workers without formal contracts (7,0%). During the period, there was a 3,8% increase in the number of self-employed workers and reductions of 0,7% in domestic employment and 1,5% in the aggregate of "other positions".

income

Compared to 2011 figures, the average real income of employed individuals decreased by 2,5% and that of salaried workers by 3,1%, following the downward trend already recorded in 2011. In 2012, the average remuneration of employed individuals was estimated at R$ 1.460 and that of salaried workers at R$ 1.431.

December / 2012

The month of December 2012 registered a slight increase in the total unemployment rate in the RMBH (Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte), rising from 4,9% in November to 5,3% of the Economically Active Population (EAP). The increase in the number of jobs (13, or 0,6%) was less than the number of people entering the labor market (23, or 1,0%), resulting in an increase in the number of unemployed (10, or 8,5%). During this period, the open unemployment rate rose from 4,6% to 4,9%.