Brazilian president hails fall in unemployment rate

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Embattled Brazilian President Michel Temer celebrated on Friday the fall in the country's unemployment rate, attributing the performance to his labor reform measures.

"My government's efforts to generate jobs are paying off, and believe me, this is just the beginning," the president said in an online video.

Brazilian President Michel Temer. /VCG Photo

Earlier in the day, the government announced that the unemployment rate was down from 13.7 percent in the first quarter of the year to 13 percent in the second quarter.

Currently, as many as 13 million Brazilians are jobless.

Temer, whose approval rate has plunged to a record low of five percent, said the increase in jobs is the result of the labor reforms he recently signed into law.

The changes in labor regulations, he said, are expected to generate two million jobs in the short term.

The president noted that the measures, which have caused controversy, aim to reduce unemployment by relaxing regulations and encouraging direct negotiations between employers and employees.

Job seekers waiting in line at a job fair promoted by the mayor's office to boost employment in the port area currently under renovation in Rio de Janeiro. /VCG Photo

However, critics say that in a country where unemployment is rampant, the reforms put employees in a precarious situation as their employers are no longer required to comply with labor laws if they manage to make their workers accept their own terms.

Temer's office has been using the Internet instead of TV broadcasts to distribute the president's speeches as of late, presumably to avoid protests during the transmission.

(Source: Xinhua)

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