Brazil Adds Fewer Jobs Than Expected

2026-05-28 23:22 By Joshua Ferrer 1 min. read

Brazil created 85,888 formal jobs in April 2026, falling short of forecasts for 230 thousand and marking the smallest monthly gain since last November.

The figure reflects the net difference between 2.27 million hires and 2.18 million layoffs during the month.

Services led employment growth with 69,601 new positions, followed by construction (+23,525) and industry (+9,256), while commerce shed 26,614 jobs.

Agriculture also posted a modest gain of 6,760 jobs, driven by coffee and apple cultivation.

Regionally, 24 of Brazil’s 27 states recorded positive job balances, led by São Paulo with 20,202 new jobs, followed by Rio de Janeiro (+11,741) and Minas Gerais (+8,991).

The stock of formal employment relationships was revised to 47.81 million after an update to the RAIS database.

Meanwhile, the average real starting salary rose to BRL 2,386.56 in April from BRL 2,369.88 in March and was 1.8% higher than a year earlier.



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Brazil Adds Fewer Jobs Than Expected
Brazil created 85,888 formal jobs in April 2026, falling short of forecasts for 230 thousand and marking the smallest monthly gain since last November. The figure reflects the net difference between 2.27 million hires and 2.18 million layoffs during the month. Services led employment growth with 69,601 new positions, followed by construction (+23,525) and industry (+9,256), while commerce shed 26,614 jobs. Agriculture also posted a modest gain of 6,760 jobs, driven by coffee and apple cultivation. Regionally, 24 of Brazil’s 27 states recorded positive job balances, led by São Paulo with 20,202 new jobs, followed by Rio de Janeiro (+11,741) and Minas Gerais (+8,991). The stock of formal employment relationships was revised to 47.81 million after an update to the RAIS database. Meanwhile, the average real starting salary rose to BRL 2,386.56 in April from BRL 2,369.88 in March and was 1.8% higher than a year earlier.
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