Tokyo
The unemployment rate in Japan increased in May from a month earlier, as the COVID-19 pandemic has led to firms laying off staff as businesses stall, the government said in a report. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan’s unemployment rate climbed to 2.9 percent in the recording period, with the figure coming on the heels of a 2.6-percent increase logged a month earlier. Separately, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said Tuesday that the job availability ratio in Japan stood at 1.20 in May, dropping from a ratio of 1.32 booked in April, marking the lowest reading since July 2015. The ratio equates to there being 120 job openings for every 100 people seeking work.—Xinhua/APP
