Job creation in Paraíba grew by 36%, registering the second-highest growth in the Northeast between 2019 and 2025

With strong growth in job creation over the last seven years, Paraíba stands out in the regional and national scenario in terms of the balance of formal jobs. Data consolidated by the Economia Descomplicada portal indicates that the state's balance of formal jobs grew by 36% on the stock of active vacancies, in the period from January 2019 to December 2025, placing Paraíba in second position in the Northeast and 6th in the country.

According to the survey, the states of Maranhão (38%) and Paraíba (36%) lead job growth in the last seven years, with complete years (January to December), in the Northeast Region. The period encompasses the administrations of former governor João Azevêdo and current governor Lucas Ribeiro. In the national ranking, Paraíba is in sixth position.

PARAÍBA HAS A STOCK OF 545,000 JOBS – In absolute numbers, based on data from the General Registry of Employed and Unemployed Workers (Caged) of the Ministry of Labor, Paraíba generated a balance of 144,300 jobs in the last seven years, resulting from the difference between 1.342 million jobs created and 1.198 million job losses. After seven years of expansion, the stock of jobs reached 545,900 positions in December 2025 across the five private sectors (Services, Commerce, Industry, Construction, and Agriculture). The stock of jobs in Caged refers to the total number of formal employment contracts (registered employment) in the five sectors that are active in the State. This data does not include the public sector.

Still within the period of 2019 to 2025, Paraíba registered seven consecutive years of positive balances, including 2020, the most critical year of the pandemic (+2,356 jobs). During this period, the balances of two years stood out: 2021 and 2025, when the highest balances of formal employment in the entire historical series of the Caged (General Register of Employed and Unemployed Workers) were recorded. In 2021, Paraíba registered the best year in the series with a balance of 35,226 jobs, while last year (2025), Paraíba generated a balance of 31,086 jobs, the second highest in the historical series.

PARAÍBA EXPERIENCES GREATEST JOB EXPANSION – According to the Secretary of State for Finance (Sefaz-PB), Marialvo Laureano, Paraíba “is experiencing the greatest expansion of formal employment in the historical series of the Caged [General Register of Employed and Unemployed Workers] and is proving the consequences of an assertive state government policy,” based on fiscal management aligned with a development policy focused on infrastructure projects, expansion of public policies, and job and income generation.

“Official data from Caged [General Register of Employed and Unemployed Workers] proves that in the last seven years we generated the two largest balances in the entire historical series of Caged, which was created in the 1960s. This is further proof that the excellent indicators and records in job creation during the administrations of former Governor João Azevêdo and current Governor Lucas Ribeiro are the result of a set of assertive government actions. In terms of balance alone, we created almost 150,000 formal jobs in these last seven years. To give you an idea, this balance is five times greater than the same period before (2012-2018),” he compared.

The State Finance Secretary also attributed the maintenance of the State's fiscal balance to the scenario of positive indicators in Paraíba. “Job creation, attracting companies, prospecting for new businesses and investments, and consequently, more job and income generation are directly related to balanced fiscal management, which has directed a record volume of the State's own resources to works and public policies in various regions of the State, also generating hiring,” he emphasized.

EXPECTATIONS ARE EVEN GREATER – According to Marialvo, in this and the coming years, expectations are even more positive in the area of ​​job creation with the inauguration of the resorts and theme parks of the Cabo Branco Tourist Hub. The largest resort, Tauá João Pessoa, was inaugurated in March and will begin receiving guests in July, generating hundreds of jobs in the tourism sector and also impacting other segments. It is no coincidence that the assertive actions of our government's administration are being accompanied by a significant volume of public works. The state also recorded the lowest unemployment rate in the entire historical series of the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), which began to be measured in 2012. The current unemployment rate in Paraíba is only 6%, the lowest in the Northeast Region,” he celebrated.