Japan’s jobless rate fell in May to a seasonally adjusted 4.6 percent from the record-high 4.8 percent seen in March and April, but the number of unemployed men in Japan actually hit a record high while the number of jobless women also increased on a year-on-year basis.
The seemingly incongruous figures were included in a report released Tuesday by the Management and Coordination Agency. The agency said the drop in the unemployment rate is partly attributable to more women giving up their employment searches amid discouraging prospects. The government does not consider an unemployed person who gives up looking for work to be unemployed.
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