Increasing labor income and real unit labor costs in Brazilian agrobusiness

Nicole Rennó Castro and Barros, Geraldo Sant’Ana de Camargo

Revista de Economia e Sociologia Rural (RESR), 2022, vol. 60, issue 2

Abstract: This study analyzes the interactions between per worker labor income (PWLI), labor productivity, real unit labor costs, and the relationship between relevant employee (IPCA) and employers (GDP deflators) prices, specifically focusing on Brazilian agrobusiness. For that purpose, labor productivities of the entire agrobusiness sector and its segments were calculated from 2004 through 2015. We found that the gap between agrobusiness sector deflators and the IPCA did not play a preponderant role to mitigate the effect of PWLI growth of 3.81% annually on real unit labor cost (CURT), which only increased 0.21% annually. In turn, CURT was contained by productivity gains, boosted mainly by agriculture. Without this productivity growth, CURT would have increased at 3.7% annually, thus making unviable the observed simultaneous gains for employers and employees in the Brazilian agrobusiness sector. The result for the primary agrobusiness segment should be highlighted. Even with an annual increase of 4.07% in PWLI, the 7.24% annual growth in productivity implied on an average annual reduction in CURT (-2.56%); without this significant productivity growth, the same increase in PWLI would have boosted CURT by 4.7% annually.

Keywords: Agribusiness; Labor and Human Capital (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:revi24:340982

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.340982

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