Rio de Janeiro, November 19, 2002 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Monthly Employment and Salary Survey (Pimes), released today by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), reveals that, between August and September, there was general growth in 13 of the 14 areas surveyed. The only negative exception was Minas Gerais (-0.1%).

The Northeast (6.7%), Pernambuco (7.4%), and, to a lesser degree, São Paulo (0.4%) contributed with the greatest weights in the determination of the overall rate.

Analysis by industrial sector shows that the chief positive contributions to employment occurred in food and beverages (3.8%) and petroleum refining and alcohol production (7.0%). The most pronounced negative impacts were caused by chemical products (-1.0%) and means of transportation (-0.7%). (DAS)