Japan unemployment rate falls to 2.5 pct in June

TOKYO, July 30 (Xinhua) — Japan’s jobless rate in June fell to 2.5 percent from 2.6 percent the previous month, marking the first improvement in five months, government data showed on Tuesday.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the total number of people with jobs in June came to 68.22 million, up 370,000 from a year earlier and the highest number since comparable records began in 1953.
The total number of unemployed people fell 3.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted 1.76 million in June, as fewer people left their jobs voluntarily or sought new work, data showed.
Separately, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said Japan’s jobs-to-applicants ratio slipped to 1.23 in June from 1.24 in May, a third consecutive month of decline, indicating there were 123 jobs available for every 100 jobseekers. ■