| Japan's employment situation continues to improve |
TOKYO, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Japan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 3.8 percent in April, marking a month-on-month fall of 0.2 percent and reaching a new nine-year low, according to a preliminary report released on Tuesday by Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
According to the report, the number of jobholders grew 760,000 in April from a year earlier to 64.44 million, up for the seventh month in a row.
The number of regular employees expanded 800,000 in April from a year earlier to 47.54 million, up for the 26th month, while that of jobless people declined 160,000 from the previous year to 2.68 million for the 17th consecutive monthly fall, statistics showed.
It was also the first time for the rate to drop below the 4.0 percent line since February 2006 after hovering over the 4.0 to 4.2 percent range for 13 months in a row.
By industry, the number of jobholders expanded in the manufacturing, transport, and medical and welfare sectors but dropped in the construction and services sectors, the report said.
The optimistic figures amid the longest economic boom in the postwar period demonstrated the improvement of Japan's employment situation, an official of the internal affairs ministry was quoted by Kyodo News as saying.
The official also predicted that the jobless rate is likely to "gradually move toward the mid-3.0 percent level."
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