Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2009, published 99th ILC session (2010)

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

Part I of the report form. Legislation. The Committee notes with interest the laws and regulations listed in the Government’s previous report and the new regulatory body introduced during the period under review, namely the Deliberative Body of the Workers Support Fund (CODEFAT). CODEFAT established the Management Committee for the Employment and Unemployment Survey (PED) System by Resolution No. 530 of 9 April 2007, which is responsible for:

–           establishing procedures and guidelines to structure a national information system on the basis of the results obtained from the PED;

–           monitoring the implementation of the PED’s in the various regions, ensuring uniformity and methodological consistency for the decentralized implementation of the survey;

–           suggesting to the Deliberative Body of the CODEFAT criteria for conducting special thematic or regional versions of the PED;

–           recommending to CODEFAT measures to perfect the PED methodologically, as well as to produce new indicators to assist with the policies and activities of the Public System of Employment, Labour and Income.

Article 7 of the Convention. The Committee notes that the Government’s report contains no information in reply to its previous direct request. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide the ILO with the unemployment data classified by the International Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic Activities (ISIC) and the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) (Article 5).

Article 8. The Committee asks the Government to provide the ILO with methodological information regarding the forthcoming 2010 population census as well as a detailed description of the methodology used in the 2000 population census.

Article 9. The Committee encourages the Government to shorten the time lag between the compilation of statistics requested under this Article and their publication and to transmit them as soon as they are available, in particular with respect to earnings statistics.

Article 10. The Committee notes with concern that no information is provided in the report relating to the structure of earnings, and there is no evidence that data on the structure of earnings are compiled. Details on components of earnings such as basic pay, premium pay for overtime, remuneration for time not worked and bonuses and gratuities and hours of work are not available in the ILO. The Committee is therefore bound to reiterate its repeated previous requests to the Government to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to compile and publish statistics of wage structure including detailed data on the composition of earnings (basic pay, overtime pay, remuneration for time not worked and bonuses and gratuities), and of average hours of work (actually worked or paid).

The Committee also draws the Government’s attention to the requirements of this Article, which also provides that statistics on the structure of earnings should be compiled at regular intervals, if possible every five years. Accordingly, it asks the Government to indicate the steps it envisages to take, if any, in order to meet the requirements of this Article.

Article 13. The Committee once again asks the Government to inform the ILO about the manner in which representative organizations of employers and workers were consulted when the concepts, definitions and methodology used for the statistics referred to in this Article were designed. It would also be grateful if the Government would inform the ILO of any survey conducted since 2003, or of plans to conduct one.

Article 15. Noting with interest that the Government has started providing the ILO with data in compliance with this Article, the Committee asks the Government to send relevant data, classified by the ISIC, for the year 2005 and onwards, as well as the new series on Strikes and lockouts: Rates of days not worked, by economic activity.

Article 16. The Committee would like to draw the Government’s attention to the fact that the statistics on labour costs requested under this provision are limited to the manufacturing industries only and that they cover employees. Even though the obligations of this Article were not accepted at the time of ratification, the Committee asks the Government whether it intends to extend the compilation of such statistics to other important branches of economic activity (Article 11).

Article 14. Even though the obligations of this Article were not accepted at the time of ratification, the Committee requests the Government to: (i) note that the relevant statistics currently compiled relate only to paid employees covered by social benefits; and (ii) keep the ILO informed of any plans the Government may have to extend the coverage of statistics.