Japan's jobless rate down to 2.7 pct in October after virus emergency states lifted

TOKYO, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Japan's jobless rate in October declined to 2.7 percent from a month earlier, as the number of workers increased in the food service and accommodation sector after the COVID-19 states of emergency was lifted across the country in the reporting month, government data revealed Tuesday.

The seasonally adjusted jobless rate went down slightly from 2.8 percent in September, the first improvement since July, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

However, the job-to-applicant ratio fell to 1.15 from 1.16 in the previous month, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said. The 1.15 ratio means there were 115 job openings for every 100 job seekers.

Economic activities are moving back to normal after the regional states of emergency were lifted on Oct. 1. People were asked to refrain from unnecessary outings and eateries as well as bars were asked to close earlier during states of emergency, doing harm to the accommodation and food service sector.

"The number of workers in the accommodation and food service field hit hard by the pandemic was still lower than that of the previous year," a government official said, adding that the "Go To Travel" and "Go To Eat" subsidy programs were in place last year, which were designed to support the tourism and restaurant industries.

"But the number of those who were furloughed in the field declined this month (from the previous month), reflecting a positive effect of the removal of the declaration," he said.

The number of employees in the accommodation and food service industry without seasonal adjustments was 3.66 million, a 10.7 percent year-on-year decrease, but the number of temporary absentees in the same industry was 120,000, lower than the 360,000 in the previous month.

In the lifestyle and entertainment services sector, the number of workers fell 10.6 percent, and workforce in the wholesale and retail sector dropped 3.0 percent.

In the telecommunication industry, the number of workers grew 9.9 percent from the previous year, logging the 20th consecutive monthly increase.

Workforce in the medical and welfare field rose 1.8 percent compared with a year earlier, up for the 15th straight month.

The latest data showed that people in work totaled 66.24 million, declining a seasonally adjusted 240,000 from a month earlier and decreasing for the third straight month.

The number of unemployed fell for the second consecutive month to 1.82 million from September. Among them, 700,000 people quit their jobs voluntarily, up 10,000, while 480,000 were laid off, down 60,000, and 490,000 were new job seekers, up 10,000.