Rise in Brazil's Digital Platform Workers Brings Higher Earnings but Longer Hours and Lingering Informality
Brazil’s digital platform workforce grew 25.4% by 2024, earning more but facing longer hours and high informality rates, per IBGE data.
- • Number of digital platform workers increased by 25.4% from 2022 to 2024, totaling around 1.7 million.
- • App workers earn 4.2% more monthly but work longer hours and have a lower hourly wage than non-app workers.
- • Around 71% of app workers lack formal employment contracts, with only 35.9% contributing to social security.
- • App motorcyclists earn 28.2% more than non-app motorcyclists, highlighting earning disparities within platform sectors.
Key details
The number of individuals working through digital platforms in Brazil surged by 25.4% from 2022 to 2024, growing from approximately 1.3 million to 1.7 million workers, representing 1.9% of the private sector workforce, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). This workforce expansion, especially concentrated in the Southeast region (53.7%), also extends to the Central-West and North regions with over 50% growth.
Despite earning an average monthly income of R$ 2,996—4.2% more than non-platform workers—app workers face longer workweeks averaging 44.8 hours compared to 39.3 hours for non-app workers. Their effective hourly wage stands at R$ 15.4, which remains 8.3% lower than the R$ 16.8 earned by traditional workers. Informality remains widespread, with around 71% of app workers lacking formal contracts and only 35.9% contributing to social security, a stark contrast with nearly 62% coverage among non-platform workers.
The study highlighted disparities within the sector; app motorcyclists, making up 33.5% of motorcyclist workers, earn an average of R$ 2,119 monthly, 28.2% above their non-app peers. Continued legal deliberations in the Brazilian Supreme Court address the employment status of app workers amid calls for formal recognition to improve job security.
Professor José Dari Krein from Unicamp noted that the sector’s rapid growth does not equate to improved working conditions, with persistently high informality and extended hours compared to traditional employment.