Brazil's unemployment rate fell to a record-low 4.7 percent in December from the 5.3 percent in the same period in 2010, the government's statistics agency said.

The average unemployment rate in 2011 also hit a record-low 6 percent, down from 6.7 percent in 2010, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics said Thursday.

Compared with December 2010, the number of the unemployed in December 2011 fell 9.4 percent to 1.1 million people.

In 2011, the average income reached 1,625 reais ($939), up 2.7 percent from 2010.

Despite decreasing unemployment and improving salaries in recent years, gender and race inequalities persist in Brazil's job market.