Nielmar de Oliveira and Isabela Vieira Reporters Agência Brasil

Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo – The most recent monthly report on employment by the government statistical bureau (“IBGE”), shows that the services sector continues to expand. According to Luigi Nesse, the president of the National Confederation of Services (“CNS”), it is an expansion that has been underway for decades. “Services now account for around 70% of both GDP and the job market in Brazil. Over the last three years, it has risen a full two percentage points of GDP,” he says, adding that in his opinion there is room for further expansion of the services sector following a worldwide tendency. He points out that in the United States and Europe the services sector is more than 70% of GDP.

Nesse says that for further expansion in Brazil the government needs to reduce the tax burden. “We have been discussing this with Brasilia and expect that president Dilma will soon make an announcement,” declared Nesse.

At the same time, Nesse describes a job market where there is a new problem: high demand for skilled workers that do not exist. Examples of this problem can be seen in the information segment (“tecnologia da informação”) and civil construction (where there remains a high demand for unskilled workers, as well). Other problem areas are telemarketing and telephone attendants, fairs and congresses where there are also very high turnover rates.

The latest employment survey found that unemployment was 6.2%, the lowest since records began in 2002, with a record total of some 22.4 million Brazilians at work (that is, over 53% of the population).

Allen Bennett – translator/editor The News in English

Link - Setor de serviços já responde por 70% da mão de obra no PIB do país

Link - Taxa de emprego no país atinge 53,3% da população, segundo IBGE