Recent data highlights notable growth in employment and education levels among Black and mixed-race Brazilians, yet significant racial disparities remain in wages and access to formal employment opportunities.
Research by the Fundação Getulio Vargas’s Brazilian Institute of Economics (Ibre-FGV), using data from the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNAD Contínua), reveals that from the second quarter of 2012 to 2024, employment among Black Brazilians grew by 23.5%, from 45.6 million to 56.3 million. This contrasts with a 2.6% growth in employed White and Asian populations, reaching 45 million.
The growth corresponds to an increase in the Black working-age population, which expanded by 23.4% over the same period, surpassing the growth rates of White and Asian populations. Educational advancements have played a role, with more Black individuals completing secondary and higher education, raising their workforce participation.