Japan Unemployment rises to 2.8% in April

Tokyo, May 28 (EFE).- Japan’s unemployment rate in April rose by 0.2 percent over March to stand at 2.8 percent, the government announced Friday.

This is the first increase in unemployment in six months in the Asian country due to the new state of emergency declared to combat the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

The number of employed people in Japan was 66.57 million in April, representing a year-on-year increase of 290,000, according to data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Meanwhile, the number of jobless people in the country was 2.09 million, an increase of 200,000 compared to April 2020.

The number of jobs for every 100 job seekers in Japan was 109, one less than in the previous month.

The pandemic has caused the loss of numerous temporary jobs, and the minor increase in April’s data reflects the impact of the latest restrictions imposed, especially on the services sector, amid the fourth wave of coronavirus in the country.

The hospitality sector was the worst affected in April, with the loss of some 200,000 jobs compared to the same month last year.

The country declared a new state of emergency a little more than a month ago in Tokyo and other prefectures.

The emergency, which has since been gradually extended, is expected to remain in place until June 20 at least.

In this third state of emergency declared by Japan since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the authorities have imposed the strictest restrictions to date in the archipelago, which has never enforced a lockdown.

The Japanese authorities have recommended to the citizens of the affected regions to avoid non-essential outings, and have called for the closure of shopping centers, theme parks, cinemas and karaoke venues and have asked bars and restaurants to close earlier and not serve alcohol. EFE

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