Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Japan's August jobless rate jumps

|
|
 
  
Published: Sept. 30, 2008 at 6:30 AM
Advertisement

TOKYO, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Japan's jobless rate in August rose to 4.2 percent, the highest since the 4.3 percent recorded in June 2006, the government said Tuesday.

The August rate was up 0.2 percent from the previous month as the country continued to be dogged by sluggish economic conditions, which may have adversely affected corporate sentiments on increasing payrolls.

The number of the jobless in August totaled 2.72 million, up 230,000 from the same month of last year, Kyodo news service reported, adding the 4.2 percent rate came in higher that the market forecast of 4.1 percent.

"The result added to the sign that the Japanese economy has been weakening," Japanese Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Kaoru Yosano said to Kyodo.

The minister urged for speedy government action to resolve the problem.

There were 64.05 million people holding jobs in August, down 410,000 from the same month of last year. It was the seventh consecutive month of fall in the number of employed, the report said.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
Protesters, police clash at NATO summit Notable deaths of 2012 2012 Billboard Music Awards
The 137th Preakness Stakes Annual Solar eclipse occurs in U.S. Chen Guangcheng arrives in the U.S.
Additional Business News Stories
1 of 27
65th Annual Cannes International Film Festival
View Caption
A contortionist performs on the red-carpeted steps of the Palais des Festivals before the screening of the film "Holy Motors" during the 65th annual Cannes International Film Festival in Cannes, France on May 23, 2012. UPI/David Silpa
fark
NYC public school requires students to study Arabic. English still listed as optional
Inventor of Oreo cream filling to be laid to rest between Jimi Hendrix and Sammy Davis Jr
The guy with a gun always gets to go ahead of everybody else at the McDonald's drive-thru
Six months in the life of a woman "caught up" in the cycle of poverty. "She took the test - and...
Remember friends, it could always be worse. You could drown in an enormous septic pit filled with...
Russia tests new missile with previously unachievable performance as a response to USA missile defense...