Job availability in August worsened for the first time in four months as the government's state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic was expanded due to a resurgence in infections, government data showed Friday.

The job-to-applicant ratio fell to 1.14 from 1.15 in July, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The ratio means there were 114 job openings for every 100 job seekers.

The ratio rose 0.02 from June to July before this latest decline.