O Globo Online - Rio de Janeiro / RJ - ECONOMY - 10/07/2013

Despite low GDP growth, the Underground Economy Index continues to decline, albeit at a slower pace than in recent years

The Underground Economy Index (IES), released today by the Brazilian Institute of Competitive Ethics (ETCO) in conjunction with the Brazilian Institute of Economics of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (IBRE / FGV), reached the mark of 16,6% at the end of 2012 , which represents a reduction of 0,3 percentage point in relation to the previous year.

In absolute values, the estimate is that the underground economy in 2012 - the production of goods and services not reported to the government, which is outside the national GDP - has exceeded R $ 730 billion.

Source: IBRE / FGV and ETCO

"In general, despite the reduction in the rate of decline of the index, the result is still positive, as it is necessary to take into account that, even with the low performance of the economy in the year, informality continues to fall", says the researcher from IBRE / FGV Fernando de Holanda Barbosa Filho.

Despite the positive reading, in the last two years there has been a slowdown in the rate of decline of the underground economy in the country. “This slowdown is basically due to the decline in formal contracts by the industry and the growth of the service sector, which is intensive at hand and is very dynamic, but has higher levels of informality than the industry ”, explains Barbosa Filho.

"In spite of the government's effort to create measures that facilitate formalization, especially in the sectors of commerce and services, where small entrepreneurs predominate, membership levels in these sectors are still quite low", evaluates ETCO's Executive President, Roberto Abdenur.

Research recently released by SPC Brasil and the National Confederation of Shopkeepers showed that almost half (49%) of the interviewees do not know what to do to regularize their business. In addition, among those who want to expand the business this year, the majority do not intend to formalize it because they fear bureaucracy, falling income and new costs.

For Roberto Abdenur, “in addition to these issues, it is worth remembering that, since the end of 2012, it is observed that the growth of the formal labor market has reached its limit due to two major factors: the rigidity of labor laws and the low level of Brazilian schooling ”. He points out that “if, on the one hand, softening rigid labor laws and reducing red tape are increasingly essential tasks, investing in education is much more than a goal, it is an obligation for a nation that claims to be strong and positioned among major economies in the world ”.

Informality, in addition to its relationship with organized crime and precarious working relationships, brings direct damage to society, creates an environment of transgression, stimulates opportunistic economic behavior, with a drop in the quality of investment and a reduction in growth potential of the Brazilian economy. In addition, it causes a reduction in government resources for social programs and investments in infrastructure.

O Globo Online - Rio de Janeiro / RJ - ECONOMY - 10/07/2013

RIO - The so-called underground economy, production of goods and services not reported to the government, corresponded to 16,6% of GDP in 2012, the year in which the economy as a whole had an increase of only 0,9%. It is the lowest rate registered for the informal economy since the beginning of the series in 2003 and represents a decrease of 0,3 percentage point in relation to 2011. In values, it totaled R $ 730 billion, according to an estimate released this Wednesday by the Brazilian Institute Competition Ethics (Etco) in conjunction with the Brazilian Institute of Economics of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (Ibre / FGV).

The strong labor market, with the generation of formal jobs, explains this behavior, according to FGV / IBRE Applied Economics researcher Fernando de Holanda Barbosa Filho.

- Informality falls systematically, even in years of crisis, which means that institutionally we are improving, but the smaller falls are signaling an exhaustion - he says.

Barbosa Filho emphasizes that the signs of job depletion, income and credit this year may impact the next results.

- The economy is no longer helping as before. Credit expansion has stopped, and with that, part of the stimulus to formalize as well. The trend is not continuing. We need institutional change, de-bureaucracy and deregulation of the labor market, although this is highly unlikely to happen.

Research recently released by SPC Brasil and the National Confederation of Shopkeepers showed that almost half (49%) of the interviewees do not know what to do to regularize their business. In addition, among those who want to expand the business this year, the majority do not intend to formalize it because they fear bureaucracy, falling income and new costs.

For Roberto Abdenur, Executive President of ETCO, the formal labor market has reached its limit due to two major factors: the rigidity of labor laws and the low level of education of Brazilians.

- If, on the one hand, softening rigid labor laws and reducing bureaucracy are increasingly essential tasks, investing in education is much more than a goal, it is an obligation for a nation that claims to be strong and positioned among the main economies in the world - he said.

G1 - Rio de Janeiro / RJ - ECONOMY - 10/07/2013

The Underground Economy Index (HEI) in Brazil, which measures the set of activities of goods and services that are not reported to the government, as occurs in the informal market, fell by 0,3 percentage point in 2012 compared to 2011, to 16,6% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The data were released on Wednesday (10) by the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV) and by the Brazilian Institute of Competitive Ethics (Etco).

Despite the percentage drop, there was growth in absolute value: it is estimated that the underground economy surpassed R $ 730 billion last year, compared to R $ 702 billion in 2011.

According to the entity, the fall of the HEI has been occurring since 2003. That year, the informal economy represented 21% of GDP. But the best in the indicator lost strength. From 2010 to 2011, the HEI decreased 0,8 percentage points.

"In general, despite the reduction in the rate of decline of the index, the result is still positive, as it is necessary to take into account that, even with the low performance of the economy in the year, informality continues to fall," he said in a note , FGV / IBRE Applied Economics researcher Fernando de Holanda Barbosa Filho.

"This slowdown is basically due to the drop in formal hires by the industry and the growth of the service sector, which is labor intensive and very dynamic, but has higher levels of informality than the industry," he explained.

Revista SM - - LATEST NEWS - 10/07/2013

The IES (Underground Economy Index), released today (10/7) by ETCO (Brazilian Institute of Competition Ethics) together with IBRE / FGV (Brazilian Institute of Economics), reached the mark of 16,6% at the end of 2012, which represents a reduction of 0,3 percentage point in relation to the previous year.

In absolute figures, the estimate is that the underground economy in 2012 - the production of goods and services not reported to the government, which is outside the national GDP - has exceeded R $ 730 billion.

“In general, despite the reduction in the rate of decline of the index, the result is still positive, as it is necessary to take into account that, even with the low performance of the economy in the year, informality continues to fall”, says Fernando de Holanda Barbosa Filho, researcher in Applied Economics at FGV / IBRE.