Japan’s unemployment rate was unchanged at 4 per cent in November, the Government said on Friday.
Compared to a year earlier, the number of unemployed people went down by 110,000 to 2.49 million, marking the 42nd straight month of year-on-year declines, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.
Medical and welfare services added 350,000 employees to their workforce to reach a total of 7.44 million people, while wholesalers and retailers added 240,000 to 10.67 million. This was balanced by job losses, including in scientific research and professional and technical services, where 210,000 people lost their jobs, the Ministry said.
Analysts said unstable forms of employment, especially among women and young people, remained one of the country’s most pressing issues.
In 2012, the proportion of temporary and part-time workers was up for the third straight year to a record 38 per cent, the Government said.
The availability of jobs — measured as the ratio of job offers per job seeker — edged up to 1.00 in November from the previous month, the first time it had reached this level in more than six years, it said.