TOKYO, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Japan's unemployment rate in June stood at 2.5 percent, remaining unchanged for the fourth consecutive month, government data showed Friday.
The number of employed individuals dropped 0.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted 68.32 million, while those without jobs remained unchanged at 1.72 million, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Of those unemployed, 800,000 individuals left their jobs voluntarily, up 9.6 percent from May, while 350,000 people were let go by their employers, down 14.6 percent, the ministry said.
Separate data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare showed Japan's average job availability ratio in June fell 0.02 point from May to 1.22, indicating there were 122 jobs available for every 100 job seekers.
Some companies said they "refrained from hiring as the impact of higher tariffs imposed by the U.S. administration was unclear," a ministry official said. ■