Only 20 percent of Miyake Island evacuees have found jobs since the eruption of Mount Oyama last month forced them to leave their homes, according to a Tokyo Metropolitan Government survey released Saturday.
Of the 449 people who responded to the survey by Friday, 91, or 20 percent, reported finding work. About 70 percent said they had been employed while on the island.
Most of those who have secured employment are working for the island's village administration or in disaster relief.
Of the respondents, 217 people, or 48 percent, said they are looking to public job placement offices to find them temporary jobs in areas such as construction, cleaning or cooking.
Fifty-seven percent of the respondents were aged 55 or older and 32 percent were aged 65 or older.
The metropolitan government sent questionnaires to 1,506 households. Some 1,960 households, with about 3,800 residents, were registered on the island.
All Miyake residents, except for a small number of emergency personnel, were ordered to evacuate the island in early September. The Coordinating Committee for the Prediction of Volcanic Eruptions said Friday the danger of explosive eruptions and pyroclastic flows has decreased, but it would be difficult for residents to return home while large amounts of sulfur dioxide are being emitted from Mount Oyama.