An assessment of employees’ working conditions

The aim of this paper is to analyze the evolution of the working conditions of those employed in coffee growing in the state of Minas Gerais and sugar cane growing in São Paulo in recent times. To this end, a study was carried out of the basic authors who deal with the subject of modernization in agriculture and its impacts on rural space and working conditions. In addition, a historical series of data on coffee and sugar cane cultivation in Brazil was analyzed, looking at how production, planted area and productivity have evolved. Subsequently, the number of people employed in the various occupational categories in coffee growing in Minas Gerais and sugar cane growing in São Paulo were analyzed, comparing them with the national agricultural average. Finally, the Employment Quality Indices (IQE) were constructed for the most qualified and least qualified groups of employees in 2004, 2006 and 2008. This indicator captures the evolution of the working conditions of employees in the crops under analysis over a recent period.