SAO BERNARDO DO CAMPO, Brazil — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva formally launched his final reelection campaign on Sunday from a stadium steeped in the country’s labor history, seeking to reconnect his Workers Party with a workforce increasingly shaped by app-based jobs, weaker unions and informal employment.
- Lula launched his reelection campaign at the May 1 stadium in Sao Bernardo do Campo, a historic center of Brazil’s labor movement.
- The Workers Party is trying to reach millions of gig workers who have limited ties to traditional unions and factory employment.
- Brazil’s unionization rate fell to 8.9% in 2024 from 15.7% in 2014, according to official data.
- Efforts to regulate app-based work have faced resistance from technology companies and skepticism among workers.
Lula returns to the roots of Brazil’s labor movement
The campaign launch brought Lula back to the stadium where he addressed about 60,000 striking metalworkers in 1979, years before his rise from factory worker and union leader to Brazil’s first working-class president.
About 20,000 supporters attended Sunday’s event, many wearing the red associated with Lula’s Workers Party, known as PT. Lula used the setting to acknowledge the workers whose support helped shape his political career.
“I thank the working men and women of this country who, at one point, believed that someone like them could do more for them than someone different from them.”
But the labor market Lula is campaigning in today looks markedly different from the one that built the PT’s political base.
Gig economy challenges Lula’s Workers Party
Brazil has seen rapid growth in work outside its formal employment system, which traditionally provides workers with labor protections and social-security benefits.
The share of workers in formal employment declined to 38.2% in December from 46.7% at the end of 2010. At the same time, unemployment ended 2025 at a record-low 5.1%.
Lula said his government had created 10.1 million formal jobs over the previous three and a half years, presenting employment creation as a central part of his economic message.
Yet millions of workers now earn money through digital platforms. A central bank estimate based on data from Brazil’s statistics agency put the number of platform workers at 2.1 million, with the workforce growing 170% between 2015 and 2025.
App workers remain skeptical of government regulation
The PT has attempted to broaden its appeal by supporting a shorter working week and proposing protections for app-based workers covering areas such as pay, working conditions, social-security benefits and platform algorithms.
Those efforts have encountered resistance from companies and skepticism among workers who value the flexibility offered by platform employment.
Darlan Almeida, 27, who delivers for apps in Sao Bernardo do Campo after previously holding a formal job, said the government’s approach does not reflect the realities of workers like him.
“They don’t know what we need or how we work. They should spend a day with us on the streets.”
Uber driver Eduardo Marini, 51, also cited flexibility as an important advantage of platform work, despite concerns about working conditions. He said he fears government regulation could reduce his independence.
Political competition for Brazil’s gig workers
Public opinion researcher Oswaldo Amaral of the University of Campinas said the combination of platform flexibility and concern about government intervention has pushed some workers toward right-wing politicians who favor lighter regulation.
A 2023 survey commissioned by Uber and Brazilian partner iFood found that 40% of platform workers identified as right-wing, another 40% as centrist and 20% as left-wing.
That makes the sector an important constituency ahead of October’s vote, particularly as Lula’s main right-wing rival, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, seeks support among voters who are skeptical of increased government involvement in the gig economy.
Union decline adds to PT’s political challenge
The difficulties extend beyond app-based employment. Brazil’s unionization rate has almost halved over the past decade, falling from 15.7% in 2014 to 8.9% in 2024, according to the latest official figures.
Political science professor Marco Teixeira of the Getulio Vargas Foundation said the PT faces difficulty developing a clear message for workers whose employment does not revolve around a traditional employer or identifiable workplace.
PT president Edinho Silva has acknowledged the need for greater engagement with informal workers, arguing that unions and left-wing groups need to understand their working conditions more closely.
“They aren’t talking to them, they aren’t organizing them, and they aren’t present in their daily lives.”
Informal workers want flexibility and protection
The political challenge is not simply about persuading informal workers to return to traditional employment. A 2025 survey commissioned by the PT found that 65% of informal workers aspired to become entrepreneurs, while only 27.5% preferred formal employment.
At the same time, 56% said protections such as sick pay, injury benefits and a minimum wage were “very important”. Views on collective organization were more divided, with almost 40% saying their own union could be beneficial while a similar proportion said they would not join one.
Rogerio do Santo, 43, illustrates that tension. After seven years driving for Uber, he is looking for a formal job again, citing declining earnings and a lack of organized representation for drivers.
For Lula’s Workers Party, the challenge ahead of the October election is to translate its historic labor identity into a political message that resonates with workers whose relationship with employment, unions and the state has fundamentally changed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Brazil’s gig economy important to Lula’s reelection campaign?
Digital platform work has expanded rapidly, creating a large workforce that is less connected to the unions and traditional factory employment that historically formed an important part of the Workers Party’s base.
What does Lula’s Workers Party propose for app-based workers?
The party has backed proposals involving pay, working conditions, social-security benefits and regulation of platform algorithms, along with support for a shorter working week.
