The government released data Tuesday suggesting employment conditions have come under growing pressure from the slowing economy, with job availability marking its first fall in more than three years.
The unemployment rate stayed at 4.2 percent in September, unchanged from the previous month. But the result, which almost matched market forecasts, underscored that the struggling economy is making it hard to expand overall payrolls, while signs of weakening have been increasingly observed among manufacturers.
Job availability, or the ratio of employment offers to seekers, slid to 0.81 last month from 0.83 in August, meaning 81 positions were available for every 100 job seekers. It was the first deterioration since July 2009, the labor ministry said.