Brazil generated 255,321 formal jobs in February 2026, a sharp increase from the 112,334 net positions created in January and the strongest result since February 2025. Over the month, there were 2,381,767 hires and 2,126,446 terminations.
All five major sectors recorded employment growth. Services led with a net gain of 177,953 jobs, followed by general industry with 32,027, construction with 31,099, agriculture with 8,123, and commerce with 6,127 new positions.
All five Brazilian regions also showed positive results, with the Mid-West posting the highest relative increase, at 0.89%.
At the state level, 24 of the 27 federative units recorded job gains. São Paulo led the rankings with an increase of 95,896 jobs (0.66%), followed by Rio Grande do Sul with 24,392 (0.84%) and Minas Gerais with 22,874 (0.46%).
From a demographic standpoint, women accounted for 155,064 of the net new jobs, while men accounted for 100,257. Young people aged 18 to 24 led job creation, with 116,925 positions. Workers with a high school education gained 162,295 jobs, and those earning between 1 and 1.5 times the minimum wage added 169,007 positions.