Pandemic hits Brazilian economy, unemployment rises to 3-year high
A total of 8.9 million people lost their jobs as the coronavirus pandemic swept through Brazil
The official unemployment rate in Brazil rose to 13.3 percent in the quarter that ended in June, reaching 12.8 million people, according to the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
A total of 8.9 million people lost their jobs as the coronavirus pandemic swept through Brazil — representing the sharpest contraction on record, reports the CNN.
By comparison, in the quarter to March, the unemployment number was 12.2 percent. The latest quarter had the highest unemployment rate since the quarter ended in May 2017.
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According to Adriana Beringuy, research analyst of IBGE, the contraction in the number of employed people in Brazil between April and June affected mostly the more vulnerable population.
"Most of this reduction comes from informal workers, who are the ones with the lowest income," she said.
Almost half of Brazil's population — nearly 30 million families — received emergency cash transfers in June, according to IBGE, but this support is due to expire at the end of August
