TOKYO, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Japan's job availability ratio declined by 0.02 points from a month earlier to 1.26 due to soaring prices and the weak yen, the government said in a report on Friday.
The ratio, marking the first drop in two months, equates to there being 126 available jobs for every 100 people seeking work, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
The number of new job openings, considered a leading indicator of the economy, decreased by 2.3 percent year-on-year, the preliminary data showed, with a notable plunge of 7.8 percent in the manufacturing sector, followed by education with a 7.4 percent decline.
Meanwhile, job offers in lifestyle and entertainment services increased by 3.4 percent in the reporting month.
Local analysts pointed out that soaring raw material costs due to high prices and a weak yen put pressure on earnings in the manufacturing sector, thus curbing new hiring, while the accommodation and catering industries experienced a rebound over anticipation of booming tourism demand.
Separately, the unemployment rate in Japan came in at a seasonally adjusted 2.6 percent in April, unchanged from the previous month.
The total number of unemployed people stood at 1.83 million in April, up 0.5 percent from the previous month. ■
