Brazil unemployment insurance claims fall in first two weeks of August

BRASILIA (Reuters) – New unemployment insurance claims in Brazil fell to 216,350 in the first two weeks of August, economy ministry figures showed on Thursday, down 23.2% from the preceding two-week period and 21.3% lower than a year ago.

The figures suggest the labor market is recovering from the worst of the coronavirus shock earlier this year, although total claims this year through the first two weeks of August stood at 4.74 million, up 9.1% from last year, the ministry said.