Brazil's jobless rate falls to 12 pct in Q2

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 31 (Xinhua) -- The unemployment rate in Brazil decreased to 12 percent during the second quarter of 2019, the Brazilian Geography and Statistics Institute (IBGE) reported on Wednesday.

The figure represents the third consecutive monthly decrease in unemployment, the report said.

From April to June, the unemployment rate fell by 0.7 percentage point compared to the previous quarter (12.7 percent) and by 0.4 percentage point compared to the same quarter a year ago (12.4 percent).

The jobless rate represents 12.8 million unemployed people.

The employed population (93.3 million persons) increased by 1.6 percent compared to the previous quarter and by 2.6 percent in comparison with the same period in 2018.

According to the report, the number of private-sector employees without a formal contract rose by 3.4 percent over the previous quarter and by 5.2 percent over the same quarter last year, amounting to 11.5 million people.

Meanwhile, the number of self-employed workers hit a record high of 24.1 million people, rising 1.6 percent compared to the previous quarter and 5 percent year-on-year.

Average earnings in the second quarter amounted to 2,290 reals (605 U.S. dollars), a 1.3 percent decrease compared to the previous quarter but steady compared to the same quarter in 2018.