Brazil adds 105,384 jobs in April, below market forecasts

Wed May 21, 2014 12:57pm EDT

BRASILIA, May 21 (Reuters) – Brazil’s economy added a net 105,384 payroll jobs in April, the Labor Ministry said on Wednesday, well below market expectations.

Economists had expected the economy to add 160,000 positions last month, according to the median forecast of 16 analysts in a Reuters poll. The lowest estimate was for the creation of 120,000 jobs that month.

Brazil added 13,117 jobs in March, the lowest result for that month since 1999.

The pace of job creation has slowed in Brazil after three years of meager growth, but unemployment remains around record lows as more Brazilians opt to dedicate time to education and training.