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Japanese jobless numbers climb
Japan’s jobless rate rose in April but the availability of jobs improved, government data showed yesterday, supported by hiring for reconstruction-related jobs in the earthquake-battered north east. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 4.6 per cent from 4.5 per cent in March, compared with economists’ median forecast of 4.5 per cent, figures from the Internal Affairs ministry showed. The jobs-to-applicants ratio rose to 0.79 in April from 0.76 in the previous month, marking the highest level since October 2008. The median estimate was for a rise to 0.77. The number of new job offers rose 3.6 per cent in April from the previous month and jumped 14.2 per cent from a year earlier.