JAPAN DATA: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is expected to
stay at 5.1% in December, unchanged from November and October, according
to the median forecast of analysts surveyed by Market News
International. The ratio of job offers to job seekers at government
placement offices continued recovering gradually to 0.58 in December
from 0.57 in November, the survey showed, meaning there were only 58 job
offers for every 100 people looking for work but it would be still the
highest figure since 0.58 marked in February 2009. The Ministry of
Internal Affairs and Communications will release the unemployment rate
while the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will release the ratio
of job offers to job seekers, both at 0830 JST today (2330 GMT
Thursday).