Tokyo, Oct. 30 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s job availability ratio rose 0.01 point from the previous month to 1.19 in September, marking its first increase in three months, the labor ministry said Friday. The number of effective job openings leveled off from August, while the number of job seekers fell 1.4 pct. The ratio measures the number of job openings available for each job seeker registered at Hello Work public job placement offices nationwide. New job openings increased 1.5 pct. Growing semiconductor demand fueled by the wider adoption of artificial intelligence technology prompted manufacturers of electronic components and other related products to step up recruitment. Separately, the internal affairs ministry said that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell 0.1 point to 2.4 pct. The number of people holding jobs increased by 340,000, or 0.5 pct, while the number of unemployed people fell by 100,000, or 5.6 pct, to 1.67 million. Among the unemployed, the number of people who had voluntarily left their jobs declined by 130,000, suggesting that more people who quit to seek better working conditions had found employment. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
