Off the wire
• Australian bio-robots to investigate the Indian Ocean  • New Zealand ready to help Pacific nations in humanitarian challenges: FM  • Timberwolves select Towns with No. 1 pick in NBA draft  • Australian girl gets bond for providing drug for friend  • Australia's suicide rates could be reduced by 30 pct with European approach: researchers  • Australian authorities seize 50 kg methamphetamine  • 1st LD: Chinese shares dive over 4 percent at mid-day  • Exports can help boost Brazilian economy in times of fiscal adjustments: minister  • New Zealand's goods trade surplus drops in May  • Brazilian expert lauds enhanced cooperation among BRICS nations  
You are here: 　 Home

1st LD Writethru: Japan's unemployment rate flat in May, job availability hits fresh 23-year high

Xinhua, June 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

Japan's unemployment rate remained largely unchanged in May from a month earlier, as new hires and corporate earnings held steady, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said in a preliminary report on Friday.

According to the ministry, the unemployment rate was a seasonally-adjusted 3.3 percent in May, with the latest reading being in line with median economists' expectations.

For males the jobless rate came it at 3.6 percent in the recording period, an increase of 0.2 percentage point, while for females it stood at 3.0 percent, declining 0.2 percentage point, the ministry said.

The number of employed people in May, meanwhile, stood at 64.00 million, the statistics bureau also said, a rise of 20,000 from the previous year, with the number of unemployed people totaling 2. 18 million on a seasonally-adjusted basis, a drop of 0.5 percent from the previous month.

The number of jobs available to those seeking them improved to its best level since March 1992, separate data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare showed Friday, with the jobs-to- applicant ratio coming in at 1.19 compared to 1.17 logged in April. Endi