Japan’s unemployment rate in February falls to 2.7%

Japan’s unemployment rate fell to 2.7% in February as potential job seekers stayed put in their existing jobs due to the pandemic, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications highlighted in a report. 

This was the period the government declared a quasi-state of emergency, and bars and restaurants in the affected regions had to end operations earlier in the day to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.

Unemployed people declined by 30,000 from January to 1.88 million in February, said the ministry. Among the total, new jobseekers comprised 450,000, which is 40,000 less than the previous month. 

Workers leaving their jobs on their own accord numbered 740,000 people, registering an increase of 30,000. Meanwhile, 600,000 workers were made redundant, an increase of 10,000, official data showed. 

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The job availability ratio in February rose slightly to 1.21 from 1.20 in January, marking the second straight month of improvement, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The ratio indicates that there were 121 available jobs for every 100 jobseekers.