Japan Nov. Jobless Rate Rises to 2.5 Pct

December 28, 2018

Tokyo--Japan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in November rose 0.1 percentage point from the previous month to 2.5 pct, up for the second consecutive month, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said Friday.

The number of jobless people increased by 50,000 to 1.73 million, the ministry said.

"A growing number of people are seeking jobs with better conditions," a ministry official said.

Separately, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said the seasonally adjusted ratio of active job openings to seekers in November grew 0.01 point from the previous month to 1.63, the first rise in two months.

The ratio represents the number of jobs available to each job seeker registered with Hello Work public job placement offices nationwide.

The number of new job offers increased mainly in the construction, transportation, postal, medical and welfare sectors facing severe labor shortages.

The number of job openings grew 1.0 pct, while that of job seekers went up 0.4 pct.

By prefecture, the ratio of job vacancies to seekers was the highest in Tokyo, at 2.13, and the lowest in Okinawa, southern Japan, at 1.17. Jiji Press