Rio, 23/6/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Employment in Brazil's industrial sector was down 0.9%, from March to April. Compared to April 2002, it was down 1.0%. According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), in its monthly survey of employment and salaries, there were fewer jobs in 9 out of 14 areas, and 10 out of 18 industrial sectors surveyed.

The biggest drops in employment were in São Paulo (down 2.5%) and Rio de Janeiro (3.3%).

However, the IBGE reports that cumulative employment rate remains positive for the year, up 2.0%, while the cumulative rate for the last 12 months is down slightly, 0.3%. (AB)