Brasília – The 2012 National Household Sampling Survey (Pnad), issued this Friday (27th) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), shows that the country and its population are doing “much better,” said the Brazilian minister of Social Development and Hunger Alleviation, Tereza Campello. She believes Brazil is moving forward in all strategic indicators.
Regarding the illiteracy rate, which has climbed from 8.6% (12.9 million people) in 2011 to 8.7% (13.2 million people) last year, the minister ascribed the variation to the sampling. “In our assessment, the illiteracy rate has not increased; it has remained level, and we need to keep moving forward.”
The minister was enthusiastic concerning the employment rate and rising income. “If we look at the world, [we will see that] when it comes to labour, we have absolutely amazing figures. Unemployment has dropped and actual income has risen in all regions.” From 2011 to 2012, the unemployment rate dropped from 6.7% to 6.1%. The average monthly income of Brazilian workers was R$ 1,507 in 2012, up 5.8% from R$ 1,425 in 2011, inflation-adjusted.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
