The labor market in April appeared to be weathering a severe slowdown in economic activity due to the coronavirus pandemic, but a closer look at official data released Friday reveals a less rosy picture.
Japan’s jobless rate rose to 2.6 percent in April from 2.5 percent the previous month, a far cry from the 14.7 percent in the United States in April, a post-WWII record, and the 7.7 percent logged in the eurozone in March. But economists say the small rise in the official unemployment rate masks the full extent of the pain.
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