ID :
210507
Fri, 09/30/2011 - 17:56
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https://oananews.org//node/210507
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August jobless rate marks unexpected fall to 4.3%
TOKYO, Sept. 30 Kyodo -
Japan's unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 4.3 percent in August from 4.7 percent in July, marking the first drop in three months, as a number of people temporarily halted seeking jobs amid the deteriorating economic environment, government data showed Friday.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said this does not necessarily signal improvement in the job market, pointing out that the rising yen as well as the March earthquake and tsunami have hurt sentiment, leading many people to give up on searching for jobs.
Separate data showed the nation's job availability improved, with the ratio of employment offers to seekers up to 0.66 in August from 0.64 in July. This means 66 posts were available for every 100 job seekers, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
The seasonally adjusted jobless rate came in much stronger than market forecasts. Many economists had expected the jobless rate to remain almost unchanged.
The rate fell ''for the wrong reason,'' Credit Suisse Securities (Japan) Ltd. said in a report compiled by its economists. ''The driver was a fall in the labor force, rather than a drop in the unemployed population.''
''The employment situation should remain sluggish overall amid an expected slowdown in exports and industrial production, while jobs in some sectors, like construction, should be supported by rebuilding activity after the quake,'' they said.
The number of workers who voluntarily quit their job was down by 180,000, or 16.8 percent, from July to 890,000 while the non-workforce population came to 43.22 million, up 200,000, or 0.5 percent, indicating that more people have stopped seeking jobs.
The number of people employed stood at 59.43 million, down 160,000, or 0.3 percent. That of jobless people totaled 2.7 million, down 240,000, or 8.2 percent.
The improvement in the job offer-to-seeker ratio reflected rising employment for reconstruction work following the March 11 disaster as well as recovering payrolls at carmakers and other manufacturers, which had suffered a temporary halt in production due to the earthquake.
2011-09-30 23:10:56
Japan's unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 4.3 percent in August from 4.7 percent in July, marking the first drop in three months, as a number of people temporarily halted seeking jobs amid the deteriorating economic environment, government data showed Friday.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said this does not necessarily signal improvement in the job market, pointing out that the rising yen as well as the March earthquake and tsunami have hurt sentiment, leading many people to give up on searching for jobs.
Separate data showed the nation's job availability improved, with the ratio of employment offers to seekers up to 0.66 in August from 0.64 in July. This means 66 posts were available for every 100 job seekers, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
The seasonally adjusted jobless rate came in much stronger than market forecasts. Many economists had expected the jobless rate to remain almost unchanged.
The rate fell ''for the wrong reason,'' Credit Suisse Securities (Japan) Ltd. said in a report compiled by its economists. ''The driver was a fall in the labor force, rather than a drop in the unemployed population.''
''The employment situation should remain sluggish overall amid an expected slowdown in exports and industrial production, while jobs in some sectors, like construction, should be supported by rebuilding activity after the quake,'' they said.
The number of workers who voluntarily quit their job was down by 180,000, or 16.8 percent, from July to 890,000 while the non-workforce population came to 43.22 million, up 200,000, or 0.5 percent, indicating that more people have stopped seeking jobs.
The number of people employed stood at 59.43 million, down 160,000, or 0.3 percent. That of jobless people totaled 2.7 million, down 240,000, or 8.2 percent.
The improvement in the job offer-to-seeker ratio reflected rising employment for reconstruction work following the March 11 disaster as well as recovering payrolls at carmakers and other manufacturers, which had suffered a temporary halt in production due to the earthquake.
2011-09-30 23:10:56
