Japan’s jobless rate rises to 3.7%

Japan’s unemployment rate climbed to 3.7 per cent in June for the first increase in 10 months, the Government said on Tuesday.

Manufacturers lost 70,000 jobs from a year earlier, going down to 10.37 million, and agriculture and forest industries’ payrolls shrank by 70,000 employees to 2.3 million, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.

Analysts argue unstable forms of employment, especially among women and young people, have been a more serious issue for the country than unemployment rates.

The number of temporary and part-time workers jumped by 360,000 from a year earlier to 19.36 million in June, while that of regular employees declined by only 20,000 to 33.24 million, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reported that the availability of jobs — measured as the ratio of job offers per job seeker — inched up to 1.1 in June from the previous month.