São Paulo, January 28, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The unemployment rate in the São Paulo metropolitan area fell half a point, between November and December. According to the Seade/Dieese survey, the index decreased from 19% to 18.5% of the Economically Active Population (PEA). The estimate is that 1.759 million people were without jobs last month. The level of employment grew 0.7%. 55 thousand new jobs were created, of which 26 thousand were in industry, 23 thousand in the domestic services and construction sectors, and 13 thousand in the service sector. The commercial sector was the only one in which job opportunities shrank, with the closing of 7 thousand positions. (DAS)