As of Jan. 5, 186 high school students across Japan had been hit by job offer retractions, the education ministry said in the results of a survey released Friday.

The survey is the first of its kind carried out by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry. Companies have been steadily retracting offers to impending spring graduates as the recession deepens.

Preliminary data showed 75 of the 186 were able to find jobs at different firms but 93 are still looking for work.

Eleven students have decided to go to college, vocational school or other academic institutions, the survey said, adding that seven got their jobs back.

The 186 teenagers — 130 males and 56 females — are in 33 prefectures. By school type, 71 students belonged to technical high schools, highlighting the severe job market in the manufacturing sector.

Fifty-nine students at general schools and 22 at commercial high schools also lost job offers.

According to a similar survey conducted by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry in December, 137 high school students and 632 college students have had job offers canceled.

The education ministry said the percentage of high school students who had found jobs as of October stood at 66.8 percent of the total expected to graduate this spring, the first drop in six years and lower than the 69.9 percent figure for college students.