TOKYO: Japan’s unemployment rate rose to a seasonally adjusted 2.7% in January from 2.6% in December, marking the first increase in five months, government data showed. The rise came as the number of people in work edged lower and the pool of job seekers grew. Separate labour ministry data also pointed to softer demand, with the job openings-to-applicants ratio slipping to 1.18 from 1.20, meaning employers offered 118 jobs for every 100 applicants.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said the seasonally adjusted number of employed people fell 0.4% from the previous month to 68.17 million, while the number of unemployed rose 3.2% to 1.91 million. The ministry’s Labour Force Survey put the seasonally adjusted jobless rate for men at 2.9% and for women at 2.5% in January, compared with 2.9% and 2.3% respectively in December.
On an unadjusted basis, the survey showed 67.76 million people were employed in January, down 30,000 from a year earlier and the first year-on-year fall in 42 months. The number of employees climbed to 61.85 million, up 220,000 from a year earlier, extending a run of increases. Regular employees rose to 36.87 million, up 570,000, while non-regular employees fell to 21.55 million, down 370,000, the survey showed.
Job Availability Softens
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reported the seasonally adjusted active job openings-to-applicants ratio fell 0.02 point to 1.18 in January, its first decline in three months. The seasonally adjusted ratio of new job openings to new applicants slipped to 2.11 from 2.14. For regular staff positions, the seasonally adjusted openings-to-applicants ratio was 0.99, unchanged from the previous month, indicating a tighter balance for those roles.
In the labour ministry’s employment referrals report, seasonally adjusted monthly active applications totaled 1,809,573 in January, while monthly active job openings were 2,294,228. New applications were 407,942 and new job openings were 865,721. Seasonally adjusted active applications rose 0.9% from December, while active job openings slipped 0.1%. The ministry also reported the seasonally adjusted ratio of people who found employment was 24.7%.
Participation And Jobless Breakdown
The Labour Force Survey put Japan’s employment rate at 61.9% in January, up 0.2 percentage point from a year earlier, while the employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 was 79.7%, unchanged from the same month a year earlier. The labour force totaled 69.55 million on an unadjusted basis, up 130,000 from a year earlier, and the number of people not in the labour force was 39.91 million, down 410,000.
The survey reported 1.79 million unemployed people on an unadjusted basis in January, up 160,000 from a year earlier, extending a streak of year-on-year increases. By reason for job search, involuntary separations totaled 410,000, including 240,000 attributed to employer or business circumstances, while voluntary separations were 760,000 and new entrants seeking work were 510,000. The Labour Force Survey and the labour ministry’s employment referrals report for January were released on March 3. – By Content Syndication Services.