Rio, June 26, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics' (IBGE) Monthly Employment Survey, the real average value of salaries in May was R$ 841.00, 2.9% less than in April and 14.7% less than in May, 2002. In comparison with April, there was a drop in the income of workers with formal contracts (R$ 871.80) and informal workers (R$ 537.80), while self-employed workers (R$ 664.50) improved their situation.

The decline in average monthly income, based on the year to year comparison between May, 2003 and May, 2002, was much larger than what occurred in April. This tendency, according to the IBGE, was verified with greater intensity in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region.

In terms of the year to date, the study confirms the trend, since the beginning of the year, for a decline in all groups occupied in the private sector: Self-employed workers (-22.1%), informal workers (-12%), and workers with formal contracts (-8.1%). (DAS)