Brazil’s unemployment rate stood at 5.3% in the rolling quarter ended in August 2026, unchanged from the previous quarter and matching market expectations. It was the lowest rate since December 2025. The unemployed population fell 4.9% year over year to 5.8 million. The number of private-sector employees with a formal contract, excluding domestic workers, was 39.5 million, the highest level in the historical series, and was broadly stable both quarter over quarter and year over year. The composite underutilization rate was 13.1%, also broadly stable. The population working fewer hours than desired fell 6.2% year over year to 4.3 million, while the discouraged population declined 11.9% to 2.4 million. The informality rate was 37.5%, equivalent to 38.8 million workers. Average real monthly earnings were broadly stable at R$3,777. source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE)

Unemployment Rate in Brazil remained unchanged at 5.30 percent in August. Unemployment Rate in Brazil averaged 9.56 percent from 2012 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 14.90 percent in September of 2020 and a record low of 5.10 percent in December of 2025. This page provides the latest reported value for - Brazil Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Brazil Unemployment Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on October of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in Brazil remained unchanged at 5.30 percent in August. Unemployment Rate in Brazil is expected to be 5.50 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Brazil Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 6.00 percent in 2027 and 7.10 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-08-27 12:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Jul 5.3% 5.4% 5.3% 5.4%
2026-09-29 12:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Aug 5.3% 5.3% 5.3% 5.3%
2026-10-30 12:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Sep 5.3% 5.5%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Employed Persons 103.48 103.34 Million Aug 2026
Employment Rate 58.90 58.90 percent Aug 2026
Labor Force Participation Rate 62.20 62.20 percent Aug 2026
Unemployed Persons 5.78 5.82 Million Aug 2026
Unemployment Rate 5.30 5.30 percent Aug 2026
Wages 3762.00 3748.00 BRL/Month Jul 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 3605.00 3586.00 BRL/Month Jul 2026


Brazil Unemployment Rate
In Brazil, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
5.30 5.30 14.90 5.10 2012 - 2026 percent Monthly
NSA

News Stream
Brazil Unemployment Rate Holds at 5.3%
Brazil’s unemployment rate stood at 5.3% in the rolling quarter ended in August 2026, unchanged from the previous quarter and matching market expectations. It was the lowest rate since December 2025. The unemployed population fell 4.9% year over year to 5.8 million. The number of private-sector employees with a formal contract, excluding domestic workers, was 39.5 million, the highest level in the historical series, and was broadly stable both quarter over quarter and year over year. The composite underutilization rate was 13.1%, also broadly stable. The population working fewer hours than desired fell 6.2% year over year to 4.3 million, while the discouraged population declined 11.9% to 2.4 million. The informality rate was 37.5%, equivalent to 38.8 million workers. Average real monthly earnings were broadly stable at R$3,777.
2026-09-29
Brazil Unemployment Falls in July
Brazil’s unemployment rate fell to 5.3% in the rolling quarter ended in July 2026, down from 5.8% in the previous quarter and matching market expectations. This was the lowest rate since December 2025. The unemployed population declined 8.0% to 5.8 million, while the employed population rose 1.0% to a record 103.3 million. Formal private-sector employment also reached a record 39.4 million, lifting total private-sector employment to 53.2 million. The composite underutilization rate fell to 13% from 13.8% in the previous quarter, while the number of people working fewer hours than desired was broadly stable at 4.2 million. Meanwhile, average real monthly earnings remained broadly stable at R$3,762.
2026-08-27
Brazil Unemployment Matches Forecasts at 5.4%
Brazil's unemployment rate fell to 5.4% in the second quarter of 2026, down from 6.1% in the previous quarter, matching market expectations. The number of unemployed dropped 10.9% from the previous quarter to 5.9 million. Employment gains were concentrated in transportation, storage and postal services (3.9%) and public administration, education and health services (2.6%). The broader labor underutilization rate declined to 12.9% from 14.3%, while the number of underemployed workers fell 6.6% to 4.1 million. Total employment rose 1.1% to a record 103.1 million people, lifting the employment rate to 58.8% from 58.2%. Meanwhile, average real monthly earnings were unchanged from the previous quarter at BRL 3,738.
2026-07-30