• Highlights

• In 2023, there were 10 million active companies and other formal organizations in the country, an increase of 6.3% from 2022. They had 66 million employed persons on December 31, 2023.
• Of the total companies, 7 million (70.2%) had no employed persons and 3 million had salaried persons (29.8%).
• Of the 66.0 million people employed, 52.6 million (79.8%) were salaried and 13.3 million (20.2%) held the status of partners or owners.
• and salaried employed persons (18.5%), whereas in salaries and other compensation, it featured in the third position (12.9%).
• The highest share of salaries and other compensation was found in Public admnistration, defense and social security (23.2%). 
• In formal active companies and organizations in the country, 54.5% of the salaried employed persons were men and 45.5%, women. In 2023, men earned, on average, R$ 3,993.26, a figure 15.8% higher than that earned by women. In 2022, this wage difference was 17%.
• In 2023, 76.4% of the salaried persons did not have a higher education degree. Those with a higher education degree earned, on average, R$ 7,489.16, which represented three times more than those who did not have this same level of education (R$ 2,587.52).
• Men were the majority in the Construction sector (87.4%) and in Mining and Quarrying Industry (83.1%); women were the majority in the sector of Human Helath and Social Services (75.0%), followed by Education (67.7%).
• Of the 11.3 million local branches, 51.4% were in the Southeast.
• The states with the biggest concentrations of employed and salaried persons were: São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro.
• In terms of average salary, the highest were found in the Central West (3.1 minimum wages), followed by the South (2.8), North (2.6) and Northeast (2.2). The Federal District had the highest average salary (4.5).

In real terms, the average salary paid by comanies in 2023 increased 2.0% and went from R$ 3,673.50, in 2022, to R$ 3,745.45, which is equivalent to 2.8 minimum wages (the figure of 2022 was adjusted  according to the National Consumer Price Index - INPC, having the year 2023 as a reference). Tha had an impact on the salaries and other compensation of employees, which amounted to R$ 2.6 trillion, an increase of 7.5% from the previous year. At the same time, 3.0 million (29.8%) of companies with salaried persons employed 52.6 million (79.8%) people, an increase of 4.8%.

On December 31, 2023, the total number of formal active companies and other organizations amounted to 10.0 million, an increase of 6.3% from 2022. The number of partners and owners hit 13.3 million (20.2%). The total employed persons, considering salaried persons, partners and owners was 66 million, 5.1% higher.

These data come from the Central Registry of Enterprises (CEMPRE), released today (13) by the IBGE. The survey presents an overview of the economic sections within the formal companies  and other organizations in the country, and also shows data on employed persons by sex, and the performance of the states.

Salaries paid in the Electricity and Gas sector were up to 131.8% above the monthly average

With an average salary of R$ 8,680.85, 131.8% above the average monthly salary of all sectors (R$ 3,745.45), Electricity and gas paid the highest amounts. Next come International organizations and other extraterritorial institutions, with R$ 8,658.97, which is 131.2% above the average; as well as Financial and insurance activities and related services, with R$ 8,169.84, 118.1% above the average. Despite these three sectors paying higher average monthly salaries, together they employed 1.4 million people, or only 2.6% of the salaried workforce.

Among the sectors that paid the lowest average salaries are: Lodging and fooding (R$ 1,920.71), Administration activities and support services (R$ 2,254.52), and Other service activities (R$ 2,542.29), with ​​48.7%, 39.8%, and 32.1% below the average, respectively. Together, they employed approximately 8.4 million people, or 16.0% of the salaried workforce.

Average salary of persons with a higher education degree if three time higher 

The analysis by level of schooling shows that 76.4% of salaried employees did not have a higher education degree, while 23.6% did. This represents stability from 2022, when these figures were 76.6% and 23.4%, respectively. While those without a higher education degree earned an average of R$ 2,587.52, those with a higher education degree earned R$ 7,489.16. Thus, in 2023, those without a higher education degree received, on average, 34.6% of the average salary of those with a degree. In 2022, the figure was 34.4%.

Therefore, while salaried employees without a higher education degree received, on average, 2.0 minimum wages, for those with higher education this value reached 5.7 minimum wages. In 2022, these figures were were 2.0 and 5.9 minimum wages.

Education (65.5%) and Financial and insurance activities and related services (59.9%) are the two sectors with the biggest participation of salaried workers with a higher education degree. In terms of distribution, 22.2% of the workforce without a degree was employed in Trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, followed by Manufacturing industries (17.6%) and Administration activities and support services (12.7%).

The wage gap between men and women narrows, but men still earn 15.8% more

Against 2022, the wage gap between men and women decreased, from 17.0% to 15.8% more for men. While the average compensation for men was R$ 3,993.26, women earned R$ 3,449.00. From another perspective, women earned, on average, the equivalent to 86.4% of the average salary of men, an increase of 0.9% from 2022.

“In terms of the number of employed persons, in 2023, 54.5% were men and 45.5% were women, which represented a stability in female participation compared to the previous year, when they represented 45.3% of salaried workers,” the surveys analyst, Eliseu Oliveira, explains.

Men were more concentrated in the Construction sector (87.4%), followed by Mining and quarrying industries (83.1%) and Transportation, storage and mailing (81.3%). Women, on the other hand, worked more in the sectors of Human health and social services (75.0%), Education (67.7%) and Financial and insurance activities and related services (57.5%).

Most companies are small businesses; large-sized companies pay higher salaries

In 2023, of all companies and other organizations, 93.1% had 0 to 9 employees; 5.9% had 10 to 49 employees; 0.8% had 50 to 249 employees; and 0.2% had 250 or more employees. In 2022, these figures were 92.8%, 19.8%, 2.6%, and 0.8%, respectively.

Despite the predominance of smaller companies in the Brazilian business structure, companies and other organizations with 250 or more employees had the biggest shares of total employed érsons (43.9%), salaried employed persons (55.0%), and salaries and other compensatoion (69.1%). In 2022, the figures were 50.1%, 54.1%, and 69.3%, respectively.

“In terms of salaries, the figures ​​are directly related to company size. The highest average wages were paid by companies and other organizations with 250 or more employed person, which are also the only ones that pay salaries above the monthly average,” Eliseu points out.

In the year of the survey, the largest companies paid average monthly salaries reaching R$ 4,748.78, more than double the salary received by those with 0 to 9 employed persons (R$ 1,946.77).

Trade and repair of motor vehicles stands out in terms of three of the four variables analyzed

Trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles , as in the previous year, registered the biggest participation in three of the four variables analyzed: number of companies and other organizations (28.3%), total employed persons (20.5%), and salaried employed persons (18.5%). In 2022, they represented 29.1%, 21.0%, and 19.0%, respectively. In terms of salaries and other compensation, the sector remained in third place, with a drop from 13.0% in 2022 to 12.9% in 2023.

According to the survey analyst, although there was a drop in figures, this area remains prominent because of the big number of companies and people it employs. “Although activities such as Public administration, Education, and Administration and Support services have gained a larger share of the economy in terms of salaried workers, Trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles continues to be the activity that receives most of the workforce.”

Manufacturing industries were in the second positions in total employed persons (13.5%) and in salaries and other compensation (16.2%). In the previous year, they had 14.0% and 16.4%, respectively. Regarding salaried persons, they lost one position and fell to third place, with 15.3%, after registering a 15.8% share in 2022.

Public Administration, defense, and social security ranked third in total employed persons (12.9%) and first in salaries and other compensation (23.2%). It represents only 0.5% of the number of companies, yet with a payroll of approximately R$ 593 billion. On the other hand, the sector registered an improvement in salaried employed persons (16.2%), rising one position from 2022, when it had 15.7%.

Finally, Administration activities and support services ranked second in number of companies (9.9%) and fourth in total employed persons (9.9%) and salaried employed persons (10.6%). In 2022, it occupied the same positions, however, the figures were 9.8%, 9.7%, and 10.4%, respectively.

According to Eliseu, the positive increase in the analyzed variables shows that the economy presented signs of recovery during the period. "By observing and comparing the number of companies and the impacts they generated on employment, salaries and other compensation, we observed that there was a process of economic recovery in the post-pandemic scenario."

Business entities lead in terms of all variables 

The analysis of companies and other compensation in CEMPRE , according to their legal nature, shows the importance of business entities. In 2023, they represented 89.0% of the total number of companies; had 76.4% of the total employed persons; 71.8% of salaried employed persons; and 63.0% of salaries and other compensation.

Public administration bodies, despite representing only 0.6% of companies and other organizations, show their importance by receiving 17.0% of the total employed persons and 21.3% of salaried employed persons, paying 30.7% of salaries and other compensation.

Non-profit entities, in turn, represented 10.4% of companies and other organizations and registered the smallest participation in the economic variables analyzed, with 6.6% of the total employed persons; 6.9% of salaried employed persons; and 6.4% of salaries and other compensation paid during the year.

For both men and women, the highest average salaries were paid by the public administration (R$ 5,933.39 and R$ 4,895.56, respectively). In these institutions, the average salary paid to female civil servants represented 82.5% of that paid to male civil servants.

Business entities, in turn, registered the smallest amounts paid: R$ 3,620.02 and R$ 2,817.75, respectively, for men and women, with women's salaries representing 77.8% of the salaries paid to men. In non-profit entities, men and women earned, on average, R$ 3,605.91 and R$ 3,356.01, respectively. "This last one stood out as the legal entity with the smallest salary gap between the sexes, with women earning 93.1% of the average men's salary," adds Eliseu.

Also considerimg the legal nature of the business, the biggest wage difference between educational levels is found in business entities, with persons with lower levels of schooling earning 31.0% of the compensation of those with higher levels (R$ 2,484.09 and R$ 8,010.68, respectively). In public administration, on the other hand, the smallest difference is observed, with those without a higher education degree receiving the equivalent to 44.9% of those with a higher education degree (R$ 3,283.26 and R$ 7,304.84, respectively).

More than half of the local branches were in the Southeast Region

The 10 million active companies and other organizations in the country had 11.3 million local branches, a 6.1% increase from 2022. By Major Region, the highest concentration of local branches is in the Southeast with 5.8 million (51.4%). The Southeast also registered the highest number of total employed persons, with 32.5 million (49.2%), and salaried workers, with 25.5 million (48.5%). This Major Region also paid the total salaries and other compensation, 1.3 trillion (52.5%).

The South region had the second highest number of local branches in 2023, with 2.2 million (19.7%). Following are the Northeast (1.8 million), Central-West (972,200) and North (529,900) Regions.

The South concentrated 17.9% of the total employed population (11.8 million), 17.2% of salaried persons (9.1 million), and paid 16.9% of salaries and other compensation (R$ 432.2 billion). The Northeast had 18.0% of the total employed population (11.9 million), 18.8% of salaried persons (9.9 million), and 14.7% of salaries and other compensation (R$ 376.4 billion).

The Central-West and North Regions showed the lowest shares in all three variables: 9.2% and 5.8% of the total population, 9.3% and 6.2% of salaried persons, and 10.3% and 5.6% of the total wage bill.

In 2023, São Paulo was the state with the highest concentration of total employed persons (29.0%), salaried persons (28.1%), and wages and other compensation (32.6%). Minas Gerais had the second highest concentration of total and salaried persons (10.2% and 10.2%, respectively), but the third highest concentration of total wages (8.9%). Rio de Janeiro had the third highest concentration of total and salaried persons (8.1% and 8.3%, respectively) and the second highest concentration of total salaries (9.4%).

The highest average salaries were recorded in the Central-West and Southeast Regions, at 3.1 minimum wages each, followed by the South (2.8), North (2.6), and Northeast (2.2). According to the Federation Units, the Federal District had the highest average monthly salary (4.5 minimum wages), followed by São Paulo (3.3) and Rio de Janeiro (3.2). The lowest salaries were observed in Alagoas (2.0) and Ceará (2.1).

Break in the time series

The survey analyst also points out that the 2023 CEMPRE data should only be considered for comparison with the year 2022. This is due to the transition process to eSocial and recent methodological changes. Therefore, it was necessary to break the historical series that began in 2007.

“It should be noted that this change implemented in the active units methodology aimed to provide statistics closer to the country's economic reality. However, comparability with the 2007-2021 time series was no longer maintained, and a new series was started from 2022 onwards,” explains Eliseu.

The survey

CEMPRE gathers registration and economic information from companies and other organizations operating in Brazil, registered in the National Registry of Legal Entities (CNPJ) of the Special Secretariat of the Federal Revenue of Brazil, and their respective local branches. The data is updated annually using information from IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), the Special Secretariat of the Federal Revenue of Brazil, and the Ministry of Labor and Employment.

The survey presents data on active formal organizations in the country, such as the total number of companies and other organizations; total employed persons; salaried employed persons; salaries and other compensation; and average monthly salary in 2023. The information is presented by economic activity, according to the National Classification of Economic Activities - CNAE 2.0; legal nature; size, by ranges of salaried employed persons; and geographical distribution, also highlighting the participation of salaried employed persons by sex and level of schooling.

The results are published on the IBGE website and the IBGE Automatic Retrieval System (Sidra) for Brazil, Major Regions, states, and municipalities.