Brazil: Unemployment at a new low

BRASILIA, Brazil, July 21 (UPI) -- Brazil's unemployment rate dropped by nearly an entire point, reaching a new low in June, the Brazilian Census Bureau reported Thursday.

The joblessness rate fell to 9.4 percent, down from 10.2 percent in May. It was the lowest it's been since 2002 when the bureau began tracking unemployment in the country' six major metropolitan areas.

In Sao Paulo, Brazil's economic capital, unemployment remained steady at 10.5 percent.

Analysts said the lower jobless rate is reflective of Brazil's continuing economic growth. Last year the economy grew by nearly 5 percent, while in 2005 it is expected to grow 3 percent.