TOKYO (WAM)
Japan's unemployment rate in October rose 0.1 percentage point from the previous month to 2.5 percent, deteriorating for the first time in three months, as more people sought to stay in employment after reaching retirement age, government data showed Friday.
The total number of people with jobs climbed 0.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted 67.98 million, following a decrease in September, while those without jobs gained 1.8 percent to 1.71 million, marking the first increase in three months, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.
Of those not in work, the number of people who voluntarily left their jobs decreased 5.4 percent to 700,000, but individuals who were let go, including those who reached retirement age, increased 5.4 percent to 390,000.
Separate government data showed that the ratio increased 0.01 point from September to 1.25, indicating there were 125 jobs available for every 100 job seekers.