Japan Nov. Job Availability Ratio, Jobless Rate Remain Flat

Tokyo, Dec. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s seasonally adjusted effective job offers-to-applicants ratio stood at 1.18 in November, unchanged from the preceding month, the labor ministry said Friday. The ratio represents the number of job offers available per seeker registered at Hello Work public job placement offices nationwide. Both effective job seekers and job openings decreased, by 0.3 pct and 0.4 pct, respectively, in the latest reporting month. Wholesalers, retailers, and hotel and restaurant operators continue to curb new job offers in line with labor-saving investments. Some companies have suspended new recruitment in response to soaring prices of imported materials and higher labor costs following a hike in the country’s minimum wages. Also on Friday, the internal affairs ministry said the country’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood unchanged at 2.6 pct in November. The number of people with jobs inched up while that of jobless people decreased slightly. The number of women with jobs rose by 520,000 from a year earlier to 31.62 million before seasonal adjustment, hitting a record high for three months in a row. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]