Tokyo. The unemployment rate in Japan remained stable at 2.6 percent for the third month in a row in October. The number of unemployed is increasing. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the number of employed persons reached 6.846 thousand, a small increase from the previous month. The number of unemployed has reached 1.85 million, which has increased by 2.2 percent.

Among the unemployed, 460,000 people have lost their jobs involuntarily, which is 7 percent more than the previous month. The number of people looking for new jobs reached 50,000, an increase of 4.2 percent.

The number of female workers has reached 3159 thousand, which is the highest level since January 1953. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the employment availability ratio was 1.18 in October. This means, for every 100 job seekers, there are 118 jobs available. This ratio has fallen below 1.20 for the first time since January 2022. The ministry said that the use of self-checkout system and the gradual increase in the minimum wage had some effect on it.