According to Brazilian Ministry of Labour figures, 12,897 new jobs were created in the Brazilian footwear sector in the first four months of 2002 – 10% more than in the year-before period. Only the food and drink sector created more (15,147).

Some idea of the size of the Brazilian footwear sector is provided by the fact that in April, it was the country’s top industrial employer, with a total workforce of 272,000, 144,000 of which were located in the South, 72,000 in the South East including the Sao Paulo region, 54,000 in the North East (Ceara etc), 1,300 in the centre West and 77 in the North.

Carlos Brigagao, vice-president for domestic market affairs at the Brazilian Association of Footwear Manufacturers Abicalcados -, said the numbers show the healthy state of industry both in the domestic and international markets. He added that while fierce competition in all markets had had the effect of pushing average prices down, it was at the same time acting as a powerful driver for increased production.

Overall industrial sector vs. the footwear industry