Japan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 4.7 percent in October, unchanged from September, although the number of jobholders increased for the first time in 33 months from a year earlier, the Management and Coordination Agency said Friday.

The jobless rate for men rose by 0.1 percentage point to 4.9 percent in October, but the rate for women dropped by 0.2 point to 4.3 percent. The number of jobholders increased by 80,000 from a year earlier to 65.08 million. It was the first increase since January 1998.

"There are some improvements, but the employment situation remains severe," an agency official said.

A separate report released by the Labor Ministry on Friday showed that the ratio of job offers to job-seekers in October improved by 0.02 point to a seasonally adjusted 0.64.

The figure means there were 64 jobs offered for every 100 people looking for jobs. New offers in October increased 25.8 percent from the year before.

"The jobless rate remains in a severe situation, but there are signs of improvement as seen in the rise in the ratio of job offers to job-seekers," Vice Labor Minister Shohei Ito told reporters.

Meanwhile, the Management and Coordination Agency said the number of unemployed increased by 30,000, or 1 percent, from a year earlier to 3.14 million for the second consecutive month of rise.

The number of men out of work increased by 80,000, or 4.3 percent, to 1.93 million, while the figure for women fell by 50,000, or 4 percent, to 1.2 million.

The number of unemployed increased partly because some of those who had not sought jobs in September started to look for work in October, the agency official said.

The number of people who lost their jobs involuntarily in October rose 40,000 from a year earlier to 980,000 for the second consecutive month of increase, while the number of those who voluntarily left their jobs fell 90,000 to 1.02 million for the fourth straight month of decrease.

For men, the unemployment rate was highest between the ages of 15 and 24, at 10.1 percent, up 0.7 point from a year earlier. The next highest rate was for people between the ages of 60 and 64, at 10 percent, up 0.2 point.

For women, the jobless rate was highest between the ages of 15 and 24, at 7.5 percent, down 0.7 point, and second highest between the ages of 25 and 34, at 6.8 percent, unchanged from a year before.

The number of workers in the manufacturing sector was 13.40 million, unchanged from a year earlier. It was the first time in 41 months that the number in the sector did not fall from the year earlier level.

The number of workers in the construction sector rose by 50,000, or 0.7 percent, to 6.83 million, while the number of workers in transport and telecommunications rose by 10,000, or 0.2 percent, to 4.17 million. The workforce in the service sector rose by 310,000, or 1.8 percent, to 17.36 million.

The workforce in the wholesale, retail and restaurants sector increased by 10,000, or 0.1 percent, to 14.78 million for the first rise in five months.

Spending falls 0.1%

Spending by Japan's wage-earning households edged down 0.1 percent in real terms in October from a year earlier to an average of 329,233 yen per household, following a 1 percent rise in September, the Management and Coordination Agency said Friday.

The downturn reflects a 12 percent fall in outlays for furniture and household items and a 4.1 percent decline in entertainment expenditures, the agency said in a report.

Spending by wage-earning households accounts for about 60 percent of overall household spending in Japan.

An agency official acknowledged the lingering severity of personal spending, saying: "Consumer sentiment is not getting worse. But it is not picking up either."

Personal spending accounts for about 60 percent of Japan's gross domestic product. The persistent weakness of private consumption has hampered economic recovery.

The propensity to consume, or the ratio of household spending to disposable income, slid 1.4 percentage points to a seasonally adjusted 70.2 percent among salaried workers' households.

The average salaried worker's household income increased 0.8 percent to 487,250 yen, and the same household's average disposable income rose 0.6 percent to 409,344 yen.

By category of goods and services, spending lost ground in utilities services, which fell 3.9 percent, and food, down 2.8 percent, as well as for furniture and household items and entertainment.

Outlays for health care and medical treatment moved up 9.9 percent, and there was a 5.8 percent increase in transport and communication spending and a 4 percent rise in education expenses.

Spending on products, as opposed to services, suffered a real 4.4 percent setback in October. Expenditure on durable goods fell 11.1 percent, on semidurable goods such as clothing 6.4 percent and on nondurable goods, mostly food, 2.8 percent.

In contrast, spending on services strengthened by 6 percent.