Without citing a source, Bolsonaro talks about 10 million unemployed due to coronavirus | save

The number, if correct, would represent almost a third of the 33 million formal jobs existing until March and would increase, by 77%, the total number of unemployed in the country.

The most recent information published by the government indicates that, at the end of March, Brazil had 12.9 million unemployed. Compared to December 2019, the number indicates 1.2 million more job seekers. These data come from the National Survey of Continuous Household Sample (Pnad), of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

When it released the figures in late April, the institute made no connection between unemployment and the impact of the pandemic. The first measures of social distance were enacted on March 11, in the Federal District. In São Paulo and Rio, the rules were announced on March 16 and 17, respectively.

The President confused the total number of unemployed in the country, reflecting a context prior to the pandemic, with the specific impact of recent months. He attributed the information on the 10 million unemployed that he mentioned to the Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes.

Technicians from the Ministry of Economy clarified that Guedes was referring to the unemployment rate of the economy (12.9 million), but did not say how many people, in fact, lost their jobs since the beginning of the social isolation measures that led to the closure of activities. commercial and industrial.

During this Thursday, President Bolsonaro used the estimate of 10 million three times to speak about the impact of the pandemic and the need to resume activities in the country.

“I cannot go to the Supreme [Tribunal Federal]. Inclusive [estão] increased protection measures. Guys, you are already in the 10 million unemployed in Brazil, formal, “he said in the morning as he was leaving the Palácio do Alvorada.

Bolsonaro then repeated the data in a meeting with STF President Minister Dias Toffoli.

“Thirty-eight million informal and self-employed people have lost their income or their income has been substantially reduced. As part of the formality, whoever has a formal contract, as the Minister of the Economy told me, has just reached the unemployment rate of 10 million”. That number tends to grow. ”

Upon returning to the official residence, questioned about the origin of the number, the president again attributed the information to the Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes.

“We are going to round off, 10 million formal jobs, lost. Informal, income fell 80%, some fell to zero […] It’s from Paulo Guedes. Where he got it from, I don’t know. I even thought it was less. He said he is in the 8 and a half million, 9 million. I wish it were less, but it is a reality, “he said.

Until 2019, the federal government used the General Register of Employees and Unemployed (caged) of the Ministry of Economy as official unemployment data. However, the last Caged report released was that of December last year.

In a note published in March, the Ministry of Economy suspended publication of the report, alleging that employers did not report data to the government, which could “compromise the quality of monitoring of the Brazilian labor market.”

Caged is less delayed than Pnad Continuous because it deals with less data volume. Until 2019, the one-month result was released with a delay of approximately 15 days.