2012.04.2610:22:00UTC+00Brazil Unemployment Rate Rises In March

Brazil's unemployment rate increased from the previous month in March, data released by statistical office IBGE showed Thursday.

The unemployment rate increased to 6.2 percent in March from 5.7 percent in February. In March, 2011, the jobless rate was 6.5 percent.

The number of jobless persons in the country increased 8.8 percent sequentially to around 1.5 million in March. Compared to the same month last year, the number of unemployed remained almost stable.

In March, the number of persons in employment remained unchanged month-on-month at around 22.6 million or 53.6 percent of the labor force. Year-on-year, the number of employed persons increased 1.6 percent during the month, the agency said.