Economic worries are feeding voter discontent ahead of Brazil’s presidential runoff on Sunday, helping the conservative challenger’s prospects. Once defined by the size and strength of its labor movement, the number of unionized workers in Latin America’s biggest economy has shrunk by almost half in the last 15 or so years.
That shift is partly explained by the rise in gig work: Almost two million Brazilians now work full-time for transport or delivery apps. The loss of worker protection has fed discontent, with almost 50% of respondents to a September poll saying the economy had worsened in the last year. In response, leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva this week fast-tracked welfare payments as he looks to catch up in the polls.
