Brazilian workers increasingly rely on side jobs to supplement income

A study conducted by the Instituto Cidades Sustentáveis and Ipsos-Ipec across ten Brazilian capitals reveals that a majority of workers are increasingly relying on informal side jobs, or ‘bicos’, to supplement their income. The research indicates that 61% of respondents engaged in extra activities over the last 12 months, a five percentage point increase from the previous survey.

The necessity for additional income is most prevalent among lower-income groups, with 67% of individuals in classes D and E and 69% of families earning up to two minimum wages reporting such activities. Common side jobs include general services like cleaning, maintenance, and gardening, as well as selling used goods and food production.

Economic pressures are largely driven by the rising costs of food, which was cited by 47% of respondents as their heaviest expense, followed by housing (27%) and healthcare (11%). While official employment indicators like the unemployment rate have shown improvement, the data suggests that many workers still struggle to meet basic living costs with their primary income.