The figure grew 0.02 point from the preceding month to 1.01 after seasonal adjustment, the labor ministry said.

The rise signals that employers are increasingly experiencing a shortage of regular workers in addition to nonregulars amid the country's moderate economic recovery.

The job openings ratio for all positions increased 0.02 point to 1.51, rising for the fourth straight month and marking its highest level since February 1974.

The ratio shows the number of jobs available for each of the job seekers registered at Hello Work public job placement offices nationwide.

The internal affairs ministry separately said that the country's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in June fell 0.3 percentage point to 2.8 pct, its first drop in four months.

"The employment situation is steadily improving," an official from the internal affairs ministry said.

In June, the number of job offers increased 1.5 percent while that of job seekers stayed flat. For regular positions, offers rose 1.8 percent, while seekers decreased 0.1 percent.

New job offers grew markedly in the automotive, transport and construction sectors.

The job openings ratio by region where job offers were accepted was the highest in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, at 2.09, and the lowest in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, at 1.08.

The overall number of jobless people fell by 160,000 to 1.89 million after seasonal adjustment.

Of the total, the number of people who voluntarily quit their jobs to search for new ones with better conditions dropped by 100,000, and that of people who newly began to seek jobs, including housewives, fell by 50,000. (Jiji Press)