Microrregião de Sousa-PB: um estudo sobre as condições de geração de emprego e renda

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the social, economic and labor market characteristics in the Sousa microregion of Paraíba State, and to verify the existence of public policies for the generation of employment and income. In order to do so, a bibliographic research was carried out on the subject with the purpose of seeking theoretical and methodological foundations that allowed to understand the context of the economic and social development of the region. In addition, secondary data were obtained from the Demographic Census, produced by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE) and the Ministry of Social Development (MDS). In addition, secondary data were used, which were obtained from the Census. The indicators of demography, poverty, the PIB and their distribution within the microregion and PIB per capita were analyzed. Labor market indicators, such as income level and productive occupations, were also considered. A field research with the manager of the municipality of Sousa was carried out in the search for information on local public policies focused on the labor market. Based on the study, it was verified that the municipalities of Sousa and Pombal stand out in the microregion with the best socioeconomic indicators, which indicates the strong dependence of the other municipalities around these localities. With regard to local public employment and income policies, there were actions related to professional qualification and credit granting for micro and small entrepreneurs only in the highlighted municipalities, which does not guarantee the insertion in the labor market for the majority of individuals who are in situations of social vulnerability. The other municipalities are limited to the benefits of actions submitted by the federal and state governments. The main result of the research is the existence of structural weaknesses in the microregion regarding the generation of occupations at work in conditions of raising the income and quality of life of the population, due to the low level of education of the workforce, the strong presence of informal labor, the low diversification of productive activities and the weak performance of public management in the development or strengthening of alternatives for the generation of sustainable employment and income in the local economy.