Japan's job availability improved for the first time in two months in September as businesses sought staff ahead of the economic restart linked to the government's lifting of the COVID-19 state of emergency, government data showed Friday.
The job-to-applicant ratio rose to 1.16 from the previous month's figure of 1.14, down 0.1 point from July, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The ratio means there were 116 job openings for every 100 job seekers.
Separate data from the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry showed the seasonally adjusted jobless rate in the reporting month stood at 2.8%, unchanged since July.