Lièsio Pereira
Reporter - Agência Brasil

São Paulo - Industry in Brazil was the leader in job creation in the country in 2004. Data from the Ministry of Labor's General Register of Employees and the Unemployed (Caged) show that industry produced a net job creation (the difference between new hires and fires) of 616,347 formal posts (with signed working papers) between January and November, 2004, which corresponds to a 11.43% increase in comparison with last year. During the same period, the service sector registered a net gain of 536,404 job positions, followed by commerce (393,029), the agricutlural sector (204,798), construction (86,108), public service (22,527), and others (16,070).

The Monthly Employment Survey of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) included six metropolitan regions (Recife, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Porto Alegre).

Among industrial segments, the Caged singled out the textile sector as the second biggest job creator, with a net hiring total of 80,885 between January and November, second only to the food and beverage sector (169,558), and ahead of sectors that traditionally generate jobs, such as metallurgy (53,866), and chemicals (51,223). The textile sector includes industries responsible for raw materials - threads, fabrics, and others - as well as clothing.

Among the factors that had the greatest influence on the textile industry this year, one must point out the country's economic growth and the increase in exports.

(Translation: David Silberstein)