Aécio Amado
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Rio - The unemployment rate in December corresponded to 8.3% of the economically active population. This was the lowest level since March, 2002. According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the total unemployed population in the country's six metropolitan regions was under 2 million. The regions in which the unemployment rate fell in December, in relation to November, were Belo Horizonte, from 8.2% to 7.0%; Rio de Janeiro, from 7.7% to 6.8%; and São Paulo, from 9.7% to 7.8%. The level remained stable in the other regions.

Translation: David Silberstein