The unemployment rate rose to 13.1% in the fourth week of June, compared to the previous week. This corresponds to 12.4 million unemployed people. This is the highest rate since the beginning of May, when PNAD COVID19 started, and results from the drop from 84 million to 82.5 million (-1.5 million) employed persons in the week. The data were released today (17) by IBGE.

“In relation to the first week of May, the movement is also due to a fall in the employed population, an increase in unemployed persons and, consequently, an increase in the unemployment rate. The unemployed population in search of occupation increased by 26%, compared to the first week of May ”, said the research coordinator, Maria Lúcia Vieira.

The survey also shows that the number of employed people who were temporarily away from face-to-face work due to social distance in the fourth week of June continues to fall, from 11.1 million to 10.3 million, compared to the previous week. At the beginning of May, there were 16.6 million.

"This is the result of people who may be returning to work, but also due to a possible disconnection of these people from the work they had", analyzes Maria Lúcia.

Among the employed, 8.6 million worked remotely, which represents 12.4% of workers not on leave due to the pandemic. This group has remained stable since the first week of May (8.5 million).

The research coordinator also notes a drop in the total number of people who were out of the workforce, but would like to work and did not seek work due to the pandemic or lack of work in the locality in which they live (17.8 million). "The pandemic is increasingly ceasing to be the main reason that people claim to not have looked for work," she said.

The rate of informal workers was 34.5% in the fourth week of June, reaching 28.5 million people. In early May, there were 29.9 million.

Informal workers include private sector employees without a formal contract; domestic workers without a license; employers who do not contribute to the INSS; self-employed workers who do not contribute to the INSS; and unpaid workers to help the householder or relative.

In the fourth week of June, IBGE estimates that 170.1 million people were of working age, but only 82.5 million were employed, less than the previous week (83.9 million) and the first week of May (83 , 9 million). In other words, less than half (48.5%) were working in the fourth week of June.