Labor income differences: a comparision between Brazil and Argentina

Paulo Baltar, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)
Eugenia Leone, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)
Alexandre Gori Maia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)

The aim of this paper is to emphasize the peculiarities of labour income differences in Brazil, through a comparison with Argentina. The analyses were based on: PNAD (Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios) for Brazil and EPH (Encuesta Permanente de Hogares) for Argentina. The reference year of both surveys was 2006. The comparison of labour income diversity between Brazil and Argentina, considering the differences by gender, age and educational attainment, pointed to the fact that the proportions of young workers and females with very low remunerations remain high in Brazil. In spite of that, for older workers with tertiary education the income is relatively high, emphasizing the inequality. Furthermore, although the female participation in economic activity is greater in Brazil than in Argentina, the income differences by gender, controlling age and educational level, are significantly higher in Brazil.