Rio de Janeiro mothers gain space in the job market, with falling unemployment

The city of Rio has approximately 2 million mothers, according to the IBGE. This group faces an additional challenge to enter or remain in the job market, due to the need to balance childcare and their daily professional routine. The survey by the City of Rio shows that the city has been making progress on this issue. Between 2021 and 2024, the rate of mothers in the job market rose from 58,3% to 67,0% – an increase of 8,7 percentage points. In the same period, unemployment among mothers fell from 15,0% to 7,9%, a significant reduction of 7,1 percentage points.

The study used data from the IBGE's Continuous National Household Survey (PNAD Contínua), considering women who are heads of household or spouses who live with children and/or stepchildren as mothers. The labor market participation rate considers the working-age population that is working or looking for work. The analysis was conducted by the municipal secretariats of Economic Development (SMDE) and Policies for Women and Care (SPM-Rio), and also revealed that mothers represent 64,7% of the city's female population. Informal employment also fell: from 38,7% to 36,6%.

– The labor market data shows how Rio has been advancing, including in the generation of formal employment, which is more qualified and provides greater security, in this case, for Rio mothers and their children, consequently. That is why the improvement in these data is even more significant -, assessed Osmar Lima, municipal secretary of Economic Development.

The increase in access to work is the result of public policies aimed at empowering and empowering women. For example, in the last four years, the Secretariat for Women and Care has trained more than 364 women for the job market, with free training in areas such as technology, industry, commerce, gastronomy, languages ​​and entrepreneurship – always with strategic partnerships with universities, technical institutions and private networks.

For the Secretary of Policies for Women and Care, Joyce Trindade, the data reflects a concrete transformation:

– The numbers confirm what we see in classrooms and at graduation ceremonies: when women have access to real training, the market opens up. More than 364 women have already graduated from the Secretariat with courses connected to the world of work. Training women is essential to combat unemployment and transform realities.

Category:

• City
• Economic development
• News
• Policies for Women and Care

12 May 2025

Appointments: empregos IBGE mothers labor market PNAD