Formal employment in the Amazon grows and consolidates rights
04 de May de 2025
By Jadson Lima – From Cenarium
MANAUS (AM) – Over the past few years, the job market in the Legal Amazon has expanded, and the states in the region recorded a positive balance in job creation in 2024. Amazonas showed this growth and recorded the lowest unemployment rate in the historical series. The positive data can be celebrated by those living in the region on Workers’ Day, observed this Thursday, May 1, for pointing to the consolidation of rights, according to specialists.
The date, celebrated on May 1 in Brazil, became a national holiday in 2002 when then-president Fernando Henrique Cardoso (PSDB) sanctioned Law 10.607/2002, officially recognizing it as a holiday in the country.
The most recent data from the General Register of Employed and Unemployed (Caged), which considers the 12 months of the previous year, indicate growth in the number of formal workers in states such as Amazonas, which recorded the lowest unemployment rate in the historical series, reaching 8.4%. According to the index of the body linked to the Ministry of Labor, the balance of formal jobs in the state reached 36,000 in 2024.
The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) also pointed out that in the fourth quarter of last year, between October and December, Amazonas’ main employers were public administration, defense, social security, education, human health, and social services, with approximately 379,000 positions. In addition to these sectors, trade, maintenance of motor vehicles, and motorcycles also hired 313 workers during the period.
Activities in agriculture, livestock, forestry, fishing, and beekeeping together accounted for 288,000 formal jobs in the same period, while the industrial sector totaled 226,000 positions. “These sectors remain the most relevant in the state’s economy, reflecting both the importance of trade in job creation and the strong dependence on the public sector to absorb the workforce,” stated IBGE when releasing the latest data.
Pará also stood out among the Amazonian states that expanded job offerings the most in 2024. According to Caged data, the services sector created about 16,100 new positions and commerce offered 14,100 opportunities. Industry (4,900 positions), civil construction (6,300 positions), and agribusiness (2,600 new opportunities) also contributed to the increase in the number of formal jobs in the state.
In Roraima, Caged numbers show an 8.14% growth in 2024 compared to the previous year. In 2023, there were approximately 71,100 formal jobs; the following year, that number jumped to 82,400. The services sector led job creation in the state. In total, 3,500 new jobs with signed contracts emerged, raising the total to 39,000 formal jobs.
According to Caged, activities in information, communication, finance, real estate, professional and administrative services led job creation, with a total of 17,000 jobs. The public administration, defense, social security, education, health, and social assistance group showed significant growth, with an 11.56% increase. Of the total, the annual accumulated data registered 3,772 positions filled by men and 2,434 by women in the state.
Other States
Rondônia, like other states in the region, also showed an increase in employment rate last year with the expansion of new job openings in sectors such as Services, which employed around 5,100 people. The areas of information, communication, and financial, real estate, professional, and administrative activities were the ones that accumulated the most vacancies, with a stock of 50,700 jobs.
According to Caged, men occupied 3,200 formal positions in 2024, while women filled 5,800 posts. Among age groups, young people aged 18 to 24 led hiring with 8,300 new jobs. Considering education level, workers with complete high school stood out, occupying 7,500 formal positions.
Acre ended last year with a balance of over 6,000 formal jobs compared to the same period the year before. The unemployment rate in the state was also the lowest in the historical series, at 6.4%. Among the five main economic sectors, services led the growth in Acre in 2024, with a balance of 4,600 formal jobs, equivalent to more than half of the total active positions (57,200).
Within this segment, the activity of information, communication, and financial, real estate, professional, and administrative services generated the highest number of hires, totaling 3,000 jobs with signed contracts. Commerce also maintained positive performance, creating 1,400 formal jobs in the same period.
Another Amazonian state where formal employment advanced last year is Amapá, which recorded a positive balance of 8,600 new jobs. The unemployment rate in Amapá was also the lowest in the historical series, according to Caged. The commerce sector ended the year with a stock of 30,900 new jobs, with emphasis on the retail sector (23,000 positions).
Tocantins was the fourth state in northern Brazil to record an increase in formal employment, reaching 258,000 formal jobs. The performance was driven by the services sector, with 5,100 jobs; commerce, with 2,200 jobs; industry, with 1,100 jobs; and construction, with 452 jobs. Of the 8,777 jobs created last year, almost 60% were occupied by women and 40.2% by men.
Caged, released in February this year, also pointed out that Maranhão, another state with part of its territory in the Legal Amazon, recorded a 2% growth in new job positions in 2024. In total, active formal jobs amounted to 659,000 in December. The annual accumulated figure recorded around 9,100 formal jobs occupied by women and 7,100 by men.
Another Legal Amazon state that presented good indicators was Mato Grosso, which closed the year 2024 with a stock of active formal jobs totaling 944,300 ties in December, a variation of 2.8% compared to the previous year’s stock of 918,500. The data comes from the New Caged and was released on Thursday, January 30, by Minister Luiz Marinho (Labor and Employment).
As is typical in December, the state’s balance showed a reduction of 19,516 job positions, a relative variation of -2.02%. Over the year, the balance recorded 25,758 new jobs. Among the five major economic groups, the services sector was the largest employer in Mato Grosso: 10,979 formal jobs were created — which brought the job stock to 334,800 positions.