Rio, November 21, 2002 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Monthly Employment Survey, released by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) reveals that the number of formal employees fell 0.5% in October, compared with the previous month, and the number of self-employed workers grew 0.8%.

The number of people working increased only in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (0.5%). In Porto Alegre, this number remained stable, and in the other four regions surveyed (Recife, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, and Rio), the variations were negative, most of all in Salvador (-1.4%).

By sectors of activity, the number of workers increased in construction (2.4%) and services (0.5%). In manufacturing and commerce, there were declines of 0.8% and 0.4%, respectively.

In October the average period of time spent looking for work was 23.7 weeks, less than in September (24.4 weeks) and greater than in October, 2001 (21.8 weeks). (DAS)