São Paulo, April 22, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - The level of employment in the Brazilian construction sector grew 0.18% in February, compared with January, corresponding to nearly 2 thousand job openings. According to data from the State of São Paulo Construction Industry Syndicate (SindusCon-SP) and the GVConsult firm, however, the sector lost around 11 thousand jobs in comparison with February, 2003.

In the state of São Paulo, construction jobs grew 0.35% in February, with the creation of 1.2 thousand new openings. In the state capital the increase amounted to 0.38%, corresponding to 657 jobs.

In February the construction industry in Brazil employed 1.17 million formal workers. 351.8 thousand job positions existed in the state of São Paulo in the same month.

Translator: David Silberstein