Rio, March 25, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - The unemployment rate rose to 12% in February, as against 11.7% in January and 11.6% in February, 2003, according to data released by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

Last month there were 2.5 million people looking for work in the six metropolitan areas covered by the IBGE's study (Recife, Belo Horizonte, Rio, Salvador, São Paulo, and Porto Alegre). 48.5% of this total was in São Paulo alone. The number of unemployed people was 3.3% higher than in January, 2004, and 5.7% higher than in February, 2003. 57.1% of the unemployed population are women, and 42.9% are men.

According to the survey, the total of people with jobs presented no variation between January and February of this year but grew 1.5% in comparison with February, 2003. Mining, manufacturing, and the distribution of electricity, gas, and water absorbed 17.5% of the working population, 1.4% less than in January, accounting for a loss of 47 thousand jobs in the six regions as a whole.

The construction industry and commerce employed, respectively, 7.7% and 20% of the working population.

Translator: David Silberstein