Rio's unemployment figures are once again lower than Brazil's after eight years - Marcos de Paula / Rio City Hall
The economy of Rio de Janeiro is booming. The city reached its lowest unemployment rate in 10 years: 5,8% in the first quarter of 2026. This is the best performance after more than ten years – or 42 quarters. Until then, the lowest level had been observed in the fourth quarter of 2015 (5,3%), according to a survey conducted by the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, through the Municipal Secretariat of Economic Development (SMDE). The study was based on data from the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNAD Contínua) of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), and is published in the June edition of the Rio Economic Bulletin.
Over the past few years, Rio has regained its capacity to generate opportunities, which shows that we are on the right track. The Rio City Hall is working on several fronts to get the economy moving: investing in infrastructure, promoting tourism, strengthening commerce, improving the business environment, providing professional training, and attracting new businesses. When the city grows, jobs appear – stated Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere.
Furthermore, for eight years, since the second quarter of 2018, Rio had an unemployment rate higher than the Brazilian average. And, in the first quarter of 2026, the numbers reversed. The country presented a rate of 6,1%, above the Rio rate (5,8%).
Over the last five years, that is, comparing the first quarter of 2026 (5,8%) and the same period in 2021 (16,4%), there was a decrease of 10,5 percentage points (pp) – equivalent to a reduction of 334,4 people from Rio de Janeiro who left unemployment.
The municipal secretary of Economic Development, Osmar Lima, drew attention to the drop in the unemployment rate:
There is an improvement in labor market indicators in Brazil. The city of Rio has not only recovered, but is maintaining a downward trajectory in the unemployment rate – highlighted the secretary.
The complete edition of the Rio Economic Bulletin for June 2026 is available at [website address]. Rio Economic Observatory.
