Brazil unemployment likely higher than statistics show, official tells Folha

Brazil's rise in unemployment does not reflect the true reality, as people who have lost jobs have been unable to register due to coronavirus measures, a senior Economy Ministry official told a newspaper in an interview published on Monday. Speaking with Folha de S.Paulo, Economic Policy Secretary Adolfo Sachsida said the methodology used by the IBGE statistics agency to measure unemployment was not accurate, which likely meant it was undercounting the number of people out of work.

"Unemployment has already increased, the data do not show this, to be quite frank," Folha quoted Sachsida as saying. "We have to be ready to address this problem that will hit Brazilian society hard. In September, unemployment rates will jump a lot." Brazil's unemployment rate in the three months to May hit a two-year high of 12.9%. Official figures for June, to be released later this week, are expected to show that has risen further.

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