TOKYO, 2nd May, 2025 (WAM) -- Japan's average unemployment rate in fiscal 2024 fell 0.1 percentage point from a year earlier to 2.5 percent, marking the first improvement in two years, amid a labour shortage, government data showed Friday.
In the fiscal year through March, the number of unemployed people decreased 30,000 to 1.75 million and the number of those with jobs grew 370,000 to 67.93 million, the highest level since comparable data became available in 1953, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.
In March alone, the unemployment rate rose to 2.5 percent from 2.4 percent in the previous month, Kyodo News quoted the ministry as saying.
By industry, there were 8.2 percent more new jobs in the information and communication sector than the same month last year, while accommodation and restaurant services saw a 3.3 percent increase.