Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2000, published 89th ILC session (2001)

Labour Statistics Convention, 1985 (No. 160) - Brazil (Ratification: 1990)

The Committee notes the Government’s report and, in particular, the information supplied in reply to the previous request concerning Article 9, pagraph 2, of the Convention. It asks the Government to provide further information on the following points:

Article 3.  In the absence of a reply to its previous request, the Committee once again asks the Government to supply more detailed information on CODEFAT, including information on its composition, and its role in designing or revising the concepts, definitions and methodology used with regard to statistics covered by the Convention.

Article 7.  The Committee notes that, in reply to the ILO Yearbook of Labour Statistics questionnaires, Brazil updated the series published, so that in the 1999 Yearbook, economically active population, employment and unemployment data, derived from the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD), refer to 1997. However, only data on total unemployment and unemployment by age group are available at the ILO, whilst employment data classified according to the International Standard Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) and the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) have been made available. The Committee asks the Government to send to the ILO the corresponding unemployment data classified by ISIC and ISCO.

Article 9, paragraph 1.  The Committee notes that the RAIS reports (Annual Report of Social Information) provide annual averages of monthly earnings. It again asks the Government to indicate any measures taken or envisaged to compile and publish current statistics not only of average earnings, but also of hours of work (hours actually worked or hours paid for), which should be compatible with the statistics of earnings. The Committee notes that, according to the available information, there are three other sources of potential earnings statistics with limited coverage: the Pesquisa Mensal de Emprego, which is limited to six metropolitan regions, the Pesquisa Industrial Anual and the Pesquisa Industrial Mensal, which have restricted industrial coverage (mining and manufacturing) and from which estimates of earnings seem to cover only production workers. It notes that some discrepancies appear between the statistics produced from these different sources. The Committee asks the Government to comment on the validity of the data on average earnings collected and compiled by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) through these statistics, and to publish the relevant methodological information on these surveys and to communicate such information to the ILO, in accordance with Article 6.

Article 10.  The Committee again asks the Government to indicate the measures taken or envisaged, if any, in order to compile and publish statistics on the structure of earnings including detailed data on the composition of earnings (such as basic pay, premium pay for overtime, remuneration for time not worked and bonuses and gratuities) and of hours of work (hours actually worked or paid for).

Article 13.  The Committee notes that the latest household expenditure survey was conducted in October 1995-September 1996. It asks the Government to indicate which specific standards and guidelines are followed (in accordance with Article 2), and to state the manner in which the representative organizations of employers and workers are consulted when the concepts, definitions and methodology used are designed or revised (Article 3). The Committee asks the Government to send the results of the survey to the ILO (Article 5), and to specify the title and reference of the publication, if any, containing the detailed methodological description of the survey (Article 6).

Article 15.  The Committee noted in its previous request the efforts of the Government to improve the strike information system (SIGREV). However, insufficient information is available to determine the extent to which the data compiled by the Interunion Department of Socio-Economic Statistics and Studies (DIEESE) meet the requirements of the Convention. The Committee asks the Government to provide information concerning the statistics of strikes compiled by the DIEESE, in particular: (i) the standards and guidelines that were taken into account, if any, in establishing the statistical system (in accordance with Article 2); (ii) the organizations of employers and of workers that were consulted, if any, in establishing the statistical system (Article 3); (iii) the most recent dates for which statistics are available (Article 5); and (iv) a description of the sources, coverage, concepts, definitions and methodology used in compiling the statistics, and whether this description has been published in Brazil (Article 6).

Article 16, paragraph 4.  Recalling that the Government did not accept the obligations of Articles 11 and 14, the Committee is making the following remarks on them for the purpose of clarifying the extent to which effect is already given to them. Concerning Article 11, the Committee asks the Government to comment on the validity of the data on average compensation of employees collected and compiled by the IBGE through the Pesquisa Industrial Anual, to publish the relevant methodological information on this survey and to communicate such information to the ILO (in accordance with Article 6). With regard to Article 14, the Committee notes with interest the information supplied to the ILO concerning the methodology relating to statistics of occupational injuries, and that the statistics currently compiled cover only about 35 per cent of all persons employed. It asks the Government to indicate the plans, if any, to extend the coverage of the statistics so that they may be representative of the country as a whole. The Committee also asks the Government to provide the following information: (i) the standards and guidelines that were taken into account, if any, in establishing the statistical system (in accordance with Article 2); (ii) the organizations of employers and of workers that were consulted, if any, in establishing the statistical system (Article 3).