Brasília - A survey just released by the union-linked socio-economic studies department (Departamento Intersindical de Estatística e Estudos Sócio-Econômicos) (Dieese) shows that Negroes continue to receive lower salaries than whites. In Salvador, Bahia, a city with a large Negro population (86%), the survey found that the average salary of a Negro was half that of a white (US$207 (R$575) to US$414 (R$1,148)).

The survey was conducted in six metropolitan areas: Belo Horizonte, Distrito Federal, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador and São Paulo. It took place on November 20, which in Brazil is celebrated as Negro Awareness Day.

Besides the problem with low salaries, the survey found that more Negroes are unemployed. In Salvador the unemployment rate among Negroes is 26.9%, and among whites 18.4%. In Belo Horizonte, where 59% of the population is Negro, the unemployment rate for Negroes is 21.9%, compared to 17.2% for those who are not Negroes.

An interesting discovery by the survey is that even with higher levels of education, Negroes have a more difficult time in the job market. For example, in Salvador unemployment among Negroes with a university degree is 2.5 percentage points higher than among similarly educated whites. And the national average earnings of Negroes with a university education is 20% less than what whites with a university degree get.

Agência Brasil
Reporter:Cecilia Jorge
Translator: Allen Bennett
11/22/2004