Continuous PNAD: unemployment rate is 5.4% and labor underutilization rate is 13.9% in the quarter ended in October
November 28, 2025 09h00 AM | Last Updated: December 01, 2025 12h40 PM
The unemployment rate (5.4%) in the quarter ended in October 2025 was the lowest in the time series that began in 2012, decreasing in both comparisons: -0.2 percentage points (pp) compared to the previous moving quarter (5.6%) and -0.7 pp compared to the same moving quarter of 2024 (6.2%).
| Indicator/period | Aug-Sept-Oct 2025 | May-Jun-Jul 2025 | Aug-Sept-Oct 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 5.4% | 5.6% | 6.2% |
| Labor underutilization rate | 13.9% | 14.1% | 15.4% |
| Usual rela earnings | R$ 3,528 | R$ 3,500 | R$ 3,397 |
| Change of the real earnings in relation to: | Stable (0.8%) | 3.9% | |
The unemployed population (5.9 million) was the lowest number in the time series, decreasing by 3.4% (or 207,000 fewer persons) in the quarter and falling by 11.8% (788,000 fewer persons) in the year. The employed population (102.6 million) remained stable in the quarter and grew by 926,000 more people in the year.
The employment-population-ratio (percentage of employed persons in the working-age population) was 58.8%, showing stability in the quarter and no change compared to the same moving quarter of the previous year.
The composite underutilization rate (13.9%) was again the lowest in the series, showing stability compared to the previous quarter (14.1%) and 1.5 percentage points lower than the same quarter of 2024 (15.4%). The underutilized population (15.8 million) remained at its lowest level since the quarter ending in December 2014, showing stability in the quarter and a decrease of 10.1% (1.7 million fewer persons) in the year.
The time-related underemployed population (4.6 million) remained stable in the quarter and fell by 9.2% (a decrease of 461,000) year-on-year. The population outside the labor force (66.1 million) grew in both comparisons: 0.6% (an increase of 425,000 persons) in the quarter and 1.8% (an increase of 1.2 million) year-on-year.
The discouraged population (2.6 million) remained stable in the quarter and decreased by 11.7% year-on-year. The percentage of discouraged workers (2.4%) remained stable in the quarter and decreased by 0.3 percentage points year-on-year.
The number of employed persons in the private sector (52.7 million) was a record high for the series, but without significant changes in the quarter or the year.
The number of employed persons with formal contracts in the private sector (except for domestic workers) was again at a record high (39.2 million), remaining stable in the quarter and increasing by 2.4% (an increase of 927,000 persons) year-on-year. The number of employed persons without formal contracts in the private sector (13.6 million) remained stable in the quarter and decreased by 3.9% (a decrease of 550,000 persons) year-on-year. The number of employed persons in the public sector (12.9 million) remained stable in the quarter and increased by 2.4% (an increase of 298,000 persons) year-on-year.
The number of self-employed workers (25.9 million) remained stable in the quarter and grew by 3.1% (an increase of 771,000 people) in the year.
The informality rate was 37.8% of the employed population (or 38.8 million informal workers), repeating the 37.8% (or 38.8 million) of the previous quarter and below the 38.9% (or 39.5 million) of the quarter ending in October 2024.
The usual real earnings from all jobs (R$ 3,528) was at a record high, remaining statistically stable in the quarter and growing 3.9% in the year..
The usual real wage bill (R$ 357.3 billion) was again at a record high, remaining stable in the quarter and increasing by 5.0% (an increase of R$ 16.9 billion) for the year.
Unemployment rate - Brazil - 2012/2025
The workforce (employed and unemployed individuals) in the August-October 2025 quarter was estimated at 108.5 million persons, remaining stable both quarterly and year-on-year.
Analysis of employment by activity group compared to the previous moving quarter showed an increase in the following groups: Construction (2.6%, or 192,000 more persons) and Public administration, defense, social security, education, human health and social services (1.3%, or 252,000 more persons). There was a decrease in the Other services group (2.8%, or 156,000 fewer persons).
Compared to the August-October 2024 quarter, there was an increase in the following groups: Transportation, storage and mailing (3.9%, or 223,000 more persons) and Public administration, defense, social security, education, human health and social services (3.8%, or 711,000 more persons). There was a reduction in the following groups: Other services (3.6%, or 203,000 fewer persons) and Domestic services (5.7%, or 336,000 fewer persons).
Composite Undeutilization Rate – Quarters from August to October – Brazil – 2012 to 2025 (%)
The average real monthly earnings by activity group, compared to the previous moving quarter, showed an increase in the Information, Communication and Financial, Real Estate, Professional and Administrative Activities category (3.9%, or R$ 190 more). The other groups did not show significant change.
Compared to the August to October 2024 quarter, it showed an increase in the following categories: Agriculture, livestock, forestry, fishing and aquaculture (6.2%, or R$ 129 more); Construction (5.4%, or R$ 143 more); Lodging and food services (5.7%, or R$ 126 more); Information, Communication and Financial, Real Estate, Professional and Administrative Activities (5.2%, or R$ 251 more); Public administration, defense, social security, education, human health and social services (3.5%, or R$ 164 more); and Domestic services (5.0%, or R$ 64 more). The other groups did not show significant change.
