TOKYO, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Japan's unemployment rate dropped to 2.5 percent in April, down from 2.7 percent the month before, government data showed Friday.
The number of people with jobs ticked up 0.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted 68.76 million, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.
Of those out of work, 430,000 were let go by their employers, while 790,000 quit voluntarily, typically in pursuit of better opportunities. Both figures held steady from March.
Meanwhile, the number of people newly entering the job market dropped 10.9 percent to 490,000, according to the ministry.
Breaking down the figures by industry, education and manufacturing were the only two of 11 sectors that saw more new job openings than a year earlier, up 1.5 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively, according to separate data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
The remaining nine sectors all recorded declines, with wholesale and retail seeing the steepest fall at 11 percent.
Job offers in accommodation and restaurant services fell 9.1 percent, while those in information and communications sector declined 7.3 percent. ■
