Brazil: jobs and pay

How many people in Brazil work informally?

37.4% of employed people aged 14 and over in Brazil were in informal work in the second quarter of 2026, according to IBGE's PNAD Contínua survey (SIDRA table 8529). The rate was 0.4 percentage points lower than a year earlier.

IBGE counts as informal private-sector employees and domestic workers without a signed work card, employers and own-account workers without a business registration (CNPJ), and people helping in a family business. The rate comes from a household survey, so it has a margin of error; IBGE shows a coefficient of variation of 0.5% for this estimate.

Official sources: IBGE SIDRA: informality rate (table 8529)

How many formal jobs is Brazil creating?

Brazil added 165,827 formal jobs in August 2026, from 2,294,563 hires and 2,128,736 separations, according to the Ministry of Labour and Employment's Novo Caged release of 29 September 2026. From January to August 2026 the net gain was 1,134,033 jobs, and the total stock of formal jobs reached 48,244,696.

Novo Caged covers jobs with a signed work card only, so it leaves out the informal workers that IBGE's household survey counts. Services added the most jobs in the year to August (697,859), followed by construction (200,431). The ministry also reports that the average real starting wage was R$2,410.74 in August 2026.

Official sources: MTE: Novo Caged, August 2026

What is the retirement age in Brazil?

Under the INSS urban old-age pension rules, men can retire at 65 and women at 62, with at least 15 years of contributions, according to the INSS page on urban old-age retirement. The page explains that the women's age rose by six months a year from 60 in 2019 until it reached 62 from 1 January 2023.

Other rules apply to people who were already contributing before the 2019 pension reform, to rural workers and to some professions, and the INSS lists each one separately. The minimum contribution period is also expressed as 180 months of contributions.

Official sources: INSS: urban old-age retirement

Who can get Bolsa Família?

Families registered in the CadÚnico with a monthly income of up to R$218 per person can receive Bolsa Família, according to the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance's programme rules.

The rules page also describes the protection rule, under which a family whose income rises above that line can stay in the programme for a period on 50% of the benefit, and the guaranteed return for families whose income falls back below R$218. Extra amounts are paid for pregnant women, such as nine monthly payments of R$50 linked to prenatal care. Amounts and thresholds are set by regulation and can change, so the ministry's page is the reference for current values.

Official sources: MDS: Bolsa Família rules

How many people in Brazil are underemployed?

The composite underutilisation rate of the labour force was 12.9% in the second quarter of 2026, according to IBGE's PNAD Contínua (SIDRA table 4099). In the same quarter the unemployment rate was 5.4%.

The underutilisation rate is wider than unemployment. It adds people working fewer hours than they would like and the potential labour force, such as discouraged people who want a job but did not look, to the unemployed. It is published quarterly, with a margin of error because it comes from a household survey.

Official sources: IBGE SIDRA: unemployment and underutilisation (table 4099)

What is the minimum wage in Brazil?

In 2024, the statutory minimum wage in Brazil was 1,412 BRL a month (about $262), according to the ILO. That is the highest since at least 2012.

What is the average monthly salary in Brazil?

The latest figure from the ILO, for 2025, is $607 a month. The peak was $678 a month in 2012 and the low $448 a month in 2021. Latin America & Caribbean median: $523 a month; Brazil is 4th highest of 14. World rank, highest first: 37th of 57.

What is the unemployment rate in Brazil?

According to the ILO, the unemployment rate in Brazil was 6.0% in 2025. No year since 2005 has been lower. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 6.0%, and Brazil placed 15th highest of 29. World rank, highest first: 69th of 174.

What is the youth unemployment rate in Brazil?

In 2025, unemployment among 15 to 24 year olds in Brazil was 14.0%, according to the ILO. That is the lowest since at least 2005. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 14.0%, and Brazil placed 15th highest of 29. Of 174 countries with 2025 data, 77th highest.

What share of people in Brazil are in the labour force?

In 2025, the labour force participation rate in Brazil was 63.1%, according to the ILO. The peak was 68.0% in 2005 and the low 60.5% in 2020. Latin America & Caribbean median: 63.4%; Brazil is 16th highest of 29. Of 174 countries with 2025 data, 81st highest.

What share of women in Brazil are in the labour force?

According to the ILO, the labour force participation rate for women in Brazil was 53.4% in 2025. Since 2005 it has ranged from 50.3% (2020) to 56.9% (2005). Latin America & Caribbean median: 52.5%; Brazil is 13th highest of 29. World rank, highest first: 89th of 174.

What share of adults in Brazil have a job?

The ILO puts the employment to population ratio in Brazil at 59.4% in 2025. Since 2005 it has ranged from 52.2% (2020) to 61.6% (2008). Latin America & Caribbean median: 59.4%; Brazil is 15th highest of 29. Of 174 countries with 2025 data, 78th highest.

How many workers in Brazil are self-employed or family workers?

The latest figure from the ILO, for 2025, is 26.1%. The peak was 29.7% in 2005 and the low 25.3% in 2014. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 29.8%, and Brazil placed 16th highest of 29. Worldwide: 96th of 174.

What share of workers in Brazil earn a wage or salary?

In 2025, the share of workers who are paid employees in Brazil was 69.7%, according to the ILO. Since 2005 it has ranged from 65.5% (2005) to 70.7% (2012). Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 64.8%, and Brazil placed 12th highest of 29. Of 174 countries with 2025 data, 77th highest.