TOKYO: Japan’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate dropped 0.1 percentage point from the previous month to 2.4% in Jan., down for the first time in three months, an internal affairs ministry survey showed Friday.

The result reflected a decrease in people who were forced to leave their jobs due to reasons on the part of employers, such as bankruptcy and business restructuring.

The labor ministry said the same day that the ratio of effective job openings to seekers in Jan. came to 1.27 after seasonal adjustment, standing at that level for three months in a row.

Some manufacturers and companies in other sectors, despite facing manpower shortages, refrained from soliciting new workers as their profits have been pressured by soaring material prices.

The ratio represents the number of jobs available to each job seeker registered with Hello Work’s public job placement centers across the country.

The number of jobless people stood at 1.7 million, down by 20,000 month on month. The jobless rate declined by 0.3 points to 2.5 % for men. The rate for women rose 0.2 points to 2.3%, according to the internal affairs ministry data.

New job openings in the latest reporting month dropped 3.0% from a year earlier, the labor ministry statistics showed. New job offers decreased 11.6% at manufacturers and 8.8% at the lodging and dining industries, while rising 5.7% at providers of life-related services and entertainment companies, and 4.5% at the information and communications industry.

The employment situation is “improving moderately” as new job offers remain steady, a labor ministry official noted.

JIJI Press