Japan’s unemployment rate falls to 2.6% in March

Tokyo, Apr 30 (EFE).- Japan’s unemployment rate fell three 10ths in March compared to February to stand at 2.6 percent, according to a government report Friday.

The number of people in work was 66.64 million people in March, representing a year-on-year drop of 690,000 people, according to data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

In turn, the number of people unemployed sat at 1.98 million, which represents an increase of 360,000 compared to March last year.

The number of jobs for every 100 job seekers in Japan was 110, one more than in the previous month.

Although the pandemic has caused the loss of numerous temporary jobs, especially in the services sector, the one most affected by health restrictions, data for March points to a slight recovery.

However, the rebound may be short-lived as the country activated a new state of emergency on Monday in Tokyo, Osaka and two other of the country’s most populous prefectures until May 11.

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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