Income for freelancers skyrockets, potentially overshadowing traditional employment by 2025, demonstrating that flexibility and the use of independent contractors are becoming the new path for Brazilians
Published
06/11/2025 às 12:10
The rapid growth of income outside the formal job market reveals profound changes in the labor market and puts pressure on companies to rethink traditional models.
The income of self-employed and informal workers showed strong growth in 2025 second quarter, according to data from IpeaTherefore, the configuration of the Brazilian labor market has changed rapidly. Although those with formal employment contracts still receive the highest wages, workers without formal contracts have advanced more quickly. Thus, the Self-employed workers grew by 5,6%. and the informal 6,8%, while the CLT only registered 2,3% compared to 2024.
This increase occurred even though the average formal income was still higher — R$3.171before R$2.955 of the self-employed and R$2.213 of informal workers — and therefore, it showed that the dynamism had shifted away from formal employment. Furthermore, according to… IpeaThe income of those without formal employment reached… highest level since 2012, when the historical series began.
Compliant Sandro Sacchet de Carvalho (Ipea)The movement followed the post-pandemic recovery, as self-employed and informal workers were the most affected during the sanitary restriction phases. Thus, with the return of activities, these groups quickly recovered their lost purchasing power.
High labor costs drive the use of independent contractors and reduce CLT (Brazilian labor law) adjustments.
The difference in growth is also linked to the weight of national taxation. According to the National treasurethe tax burden reached 32,3% of GDP in 2024This, therefore, reduced the margin for companies to grant salary adjustments. According to João Eloi Olenike (IBPT)charges such as FGTS (8%), Employer’s INSS contribution (20%) and social security contributions increase the cost of formal employment. 40% to 50% of the salary, according to the CNI (2025).
Because of this, the pejotization gained strength and it has become an alternative for companies and workers. As Sacchet (Ipea)the expansion of MEI This accelerated the process, as more qualified professionals migrated to the system, thus increasing the average income of the self-employed. Furthermore, according to Humberto Aillon (Fipecafi)The savings achieved through reduced costs are usually reinvested in technology and productivity.
Digital platforms increase employment and influence income.
The rise in freelance income is also linked to the growth of digital platforms. Among other things, 2022 and 2024The number of app-based workers has increased. 25,4%, passing from 1,3 million to 1,7 millionaccording to the IBGE, and thus, a new occupational model was consolidated. In 3th quarter of 2024these professionals represented 1,9% of the Brazilian workforce.
According to the survey, platform workers received an average income of R$2.996, superior to that of non-platformized users (R$2.875However, as they worked 44,8 hours a week, against 39,3hHowever, hourly earnings were lower: R$15,4 against R$16,8Even so, flexibility and control over working hours continue to attract workers, according to an assessment by… FGV Ibre.
Minimum wage, ageism, and education level also influence earnings.
Another determining factor is what is called lighthouse effect, quoted by Fernando de Holanda Barbosa (FGV Ibre)With each adjustment to the minimum wage, self-employed and informal workers recalculate their prices based on the new national minimum wage, which therefore increases their income. Furthermore, the reduced presence of young people—a group that earns less—has increased the average real income of the employed population.
Education also has a direct impact on income. According to researchers, the increase in average education raised overall income even without significant real gains in salary brackets.
Risks, challenges, and forecasts for the future of autonomous income.
Despite the higher earnings, the absence of benefits under the CLT (Brazilian labor law) — such as 13 º, holidays and expanded social security protection — may bring costs in the long term. However, workers enrolled as MEI maintain coverage of INSS, which reduces some of these risks.
For IBPTWithout reforms that reduce burdens and update the labor model, informality could become the norm. “new normal”, and therefore will require a balance between social protection, legal certainty, and competitiveness. Thus, since 2022 and with force in 2025Brazil is undergoing a transformation that is repositioning… flexibility, direct negotiation e new forms of work at the heart of the national market.
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