Japan May Job Availability Ratio Falls to 1.17 as Hiring Slows

Tokyo, June 30 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s job availability ratio slipped to 1.17 in May as new job openings fell in sectors including wholesale, retail and construction, the labor ministry said Tuesday. The seasonally adjusted effective ratio of job openings to job seekers fell 0.01 point from April, its first decline in two months. Labor-saving efforts and the fallout from heightened tensions in the Middle East were among the factors behind the decline, the ministry said. The ratio measures the number of available jobs for each job seeker at public employment offices nationwide. While the number of effective job seekers rose 0.7 pct from the previous month, effective job openings edged up just 0.3 pct. According to the ministry, some manufacturers and construction firms reported a certain degree of impact on production and earnings due to difficulties in procuring materials stemming from tensions in the Middle East. However, the impact on employment conditions, including layoffs and hiring restraint, has been “very limited,” a ministry official said. Separately, the internal affairs ministry said Japan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in May was unchanged from the previous month at 2.5 pct. The number of employed people increased 0.1 pct, while the number of unemployed people fell 2.8 pct. Among unemployed people, both voluntary job leavers, including those seeking new employment, and involuntary job leavers, such as those who lost their jobs due to reasons on the employer’s side, declined. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]