BRASILIA: Brazil's economy added a net 184,140 formal jobs in March, Economy Ministry figures showed on Wednesday, rounding off a record first quarter as the economic recovery from the pandemic-led slump last year continued.

The figure for March was slightly more than the 180,000 forecast in a Reuters poll of economists and the highest figure for that month since 2010.

Some 1.6 million positions were created in the month and 1.4 million were cut, the ministry said. In the first quarter, Brazil created 4.94 million formal jobs and cut 4.1 million, resulting in a record net Jan-March gain of 837,074.

The figures for March were led by the dominant services sector, which created a net 95,553 new positions, around half of the total. Industry created 42,150 new jobs, the ministry said.

The total number of formally registered workers in Brazil rose to 40.2 million, the highest since September 2015, according to historical data on the central bank's website.

Earnings rose, with the average monthly salary of new jobs created in March up to an unadjusted 1,802.65 reais ($333), the highest since last September.

February's 401,639 new jobs was revised down to 395,166, which means that month is no longer a record, ministry figures showed.