Citrus farming drives job creation in Brazilian agriculture.

Citrus farming continues to play a significant role in generating jobs in Brazilian agribusiness. From July to December 2025, a period corresponding to the first half of the 2025/2026 harvest, the sector registered a total of 23.637 new hires, representing a 32,3% increase compared to the 17.861 new hires in the same period last year. The data comes from the General Register of Employed and Unemployed Workers (Caged), compiled by CitrusBR. 

“We are seeing a recovery in hiring after periods of smaller harvests, which demonstrates the sector's ability to generate jobs in the cities where it is present,” says Ibiapaba Netto, executive director of CitrusBR. 

Considering the calendar year, from January to December 2025, citrus farming also showed positive performance. During this period, the sector totaled 55.400 new hires, compared to 51.774 registered in 2024, representing a growth of 7,0%. This is the highest level of job creation in the last seven years.

The state of São Paulo, the main center of national citrus production, concentrated the majority of the jobs created. Between July and December 2025, 17.402 jobs were recorded, a growth of 34,2% compared to the 12.968 jobs registered in the same period of the 2024/25 harvest. 

Map of jobs in citrus farming.

Other producing states also showed growth in job creation during the first half of the 2025/26 harvest. Minas Gerais registered 3.375 new hires, a 48,3% increase compared to the 2.276 jobs created in the same period of the previous harvest. In Paraná, the sector created 990 jobs, a 42,2% increase. In Mato Grosso do Sul, jobs generated by citrus farming increased by 307,6%, with 485 new hires. "The expansion of orange production to other producing regions has had a positive effect on job creation, with a high social impact," says the director.