The Brazilian unemployment rate increased in the quarter until February, showed official data on Friday, equalizing the expectations of economists consulted in a reuters survey.
Unemployment in the largest economy in Latin America reached 6.8% in the three months until February, said the IBGE statistics agency, above 6.1% registered in the previous mobile quarter that ended in November.
In the last quarters, Brazil’s unemployment rate has fallen to historical minimums, which has been applauded by the government, but also cited by the Central Bank as a factor in its increases in interest rates amid the increase in consumer prices.
Last week, the Central Bank rose interest rates at 100 basic points to 14.25% – a maximum not seen since 2016 – and indicated a minor increase that will occur in May.
In recent weeks, a series of economic data have shown signs of deceleration of the Brazilian economy.
