Japan’s jobless rate rises to 2.6 pct in August-Xinhua

A man walks past a logo of Nippon Steel in Tokyo, Japan, June 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)

TOKYO, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) — Japan’s unemployment rate in August rose to 2.6 percent from 2.3 percent in the previous month, marking the highest level in 13 months, government data showed Friday.

The number of employed individuals dropped 0.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted 68.1 million, while those without jobs grew 9.1 percent to 1.79 million, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Of those unemployed, 770,000 individuals left their jobs voluntarily, up 13.2 percent from the previous month, while 430,000 people were dismissed, up 19.4 percent, the ministry said.

Separate data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare showed Japan’s average job availability ratio in August decreased 0.02 points from July to 1.20, meaning there were 120 job openings for every 100 jobseekers.

The latest job-to-applicant ratio fell for the first time in two months, as many companies refrained from hiring due to budgetary constraints caused by difficulties in passing on higher costs to consumers.■