Japan's average job availability improved in 2022 for the first time in four years as economic and social activities revived with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, government data showed Tuesday.

The job-to-applicant ratio rose 0.15 point from the previous year to 1.28, thanks to a stronger hospitality sector, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said. The figure has not yet reached the pre-pandemic level of 1.6 in 2019, indicating that a full recovery will take time.

The ratio means there were 128 job openings for every 100 job seekers.