At a glance
- On 24 March 2023, Law 14,553/23 was published which amends the Racial Equality Statute 2010.
- The amendments set out new procedures and criteria to collect information on race and ethnicity.
The new law provides that race and ethnicity data must be reported by public and private employers, to help inform public policies to be implemented by the country.
Every five years, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) will use the information in a census, aiming to identify the participation of each ethnic-racial group in the public sector. The information collected shall also be considered in the National Policy to Promote Racial Equality, which aims to reduce racial inequalities in Brazil, particularly in relation to black people.
Under the law, employers in the public and private sector must include in employment registers / documents a section where employees are required to state their ethnic or racial group. Therefore, the employee must state their race when they are employed or terminated.
The employer must also state the employee’s race / ethnicity when:
- They experience an occupational health issue or accident at work;
- Informing dependents before the Social Security Offices; and
- When reporting through the RAIS (employer document with details on the number of employees and their picture).
