Brazil's low joblessness rate held steady in August from July, as wages continued the advance that has pressured inflation and worries policymakers. Brazil's jobless rate held at 6 percent in August from July, the government's statistics agency IBGE said on Thursday, slightly below the 6.1 percent expected in a Reuters survey of 18 economists.
With employers increasing salaries for sought-after workers, near record-low unemployment rates in Brazil have helped boost inflation to six-year highs. The benchmark IPCA inflation index sped above a 6.5 percent target ceiling in April and has only picked up its pace since, with the rate at about 7.33 percent in the 12 months through mid-August.