Brazil loses 1.5 million jobs in 2015: report

Brazil lost 1.51 million formal jobs in 2015, the worst number of losses in thirty years, according to a government report released on Friday.

According to the Rais report by the country's Labor Ministry, the number of formal jobs fell from 49.6 million to 48.1 million by the end of 2015, representing a job loss of 3 percent, the worst since the report was established in 1985.

In 2014, the Brazilian economy had, despite all problems, managed to generate 623,000 formal jobs. However, the recession Brazil faced in 2015, when the country's gross domestic product shrank 3.8 percent, had a strong impact on the job market.

The agriculture sector still managed to register positive figures in 2015, generating 20,900 jobs. The transformation industry, on the other hand, posted a reduction of 604,100 jobs, while the construction sector fell 393,000 jobs and the trade sector, 195,500 jobs.

In addition to job post reduction, the average earnings of Brazilian workers also fell. In 2014, Brazilian workers' average monthly salary was 2,725.28 reals (825.24 U.S. dollars), falling 2.56 percent to 2,655.60 reals (804.72 U.S. dollars) in 2015.

Source : XINHUA