TOKYO, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Unemployment rate in Japan ticked up 0.1 percentage point from the previous month to 2.5 percent in October, the first increase in three months, government data showed Friday.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the total number of people with jobs in October rose 0.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted 67.98 million, following a decrease in September, while those without jobs increased 1.8 percent to 1.71 million, marking the first increase in three months.
It is natural that many people were seeking a job in the reporting month after their half-year contracts expired in September, analysts said. Japan's business year starts in April.
Meanwhile, separate government data showed that the job-to-applicant ratio increased to 1.25 in October, up from last month's 1.24, meaning there were 125 job openings for every 100 jobseekers.
By industry, there were 8.9 percent more new job openings in the academic research and technical service sector than a year earlier, while new job offers fell 6.5 percent in hotel and restaurant services, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said. ■
