Japan’s annual unemployment rate rises for first time in 11 years

Tokyo, Jan 29 (efe-epa).- The average annual unemployment rate in Japan rose in 2020 to 2.8 percent, the first increase in 11 years and attributed to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to data released Friday by the government.

The 2020 figure was up 0.4 percent from the previous year when the average annual unemployment rate was 2.4 percent.

The loss of jobs in the world’s third-largest economy especially affected positions of a temporary nature and in the services, hotel and restaurant sectors, with 2020 marking the first rise since 2009, according to figures published Friday by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

In 2009, due to the international financial crisis, the rate stood at 5.1 percent, and from then the indicator improved every year until 2020.

In December, unemployment was at 2.9 percent, the same figure as the previous month, but an increase of 0.7 percent compared to the previous year.

The number of people employed in the Asian country in the last month of 2020 was 66.6 million, representing a year-on-year decrease of 230,000 people.

The number of unemployed people was 1.94 million, representing an increase of 490,000 year-on-year.

The number of jobs available per 100 jobseekers in Japan was 106 in December, the same number as the previous month. EFE-EPA

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