— Japan June Unemployment Rate 4.6% Vs May 4.5%
— Japan June Jobless Rate MNI Survey Median Forecast: 4.6%
— Japan June SA Jobs +40,000 M/M, 1st Rise in 4 Months
— Japan June SA Unemployed +60,000 M/M, 1st Rise in 2 Months
— Japan June NSA Jobs +30,000 Y/Y, 3rd Rise In Row; May +90,000
— Japan June NSA Unemployed -360,000 Y/Y, 13th Drop; May -380,000

TOKYO (MNI) – Japan’s unemployment rate — national figures minus
the three prefectures hardest hit by the March 11 disaster – rose to
4.6% in June from 4.5% in May as the number of unemployed increased for
the first time in four months, data from the Ministry of Internal
Affairs and Communications showed Friday.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June matched the
median forecast in an MNI survey of economists.

The government is compiling employment and unemployment data for
April and onward without records from the Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima
prefectures, the hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunami that wrecked
the northeastern Pacific coast.

For the time being, the government will release only national data
minus the three prefectures from the monthly Labour Force survey.

In May, the ministry resumed its survey in limited areas of Iwate
and Miyagi but didn’t add the results to the national average as the
sample was small. As reference data, it said the unemployment rate was
6.5% in Iwate and 7.0% in Miyagi.

The national unemployment rate of 4.6% in June matched that posted
in February and March this year. In May, the rate fell to 4.5%, the
lowest February 2009.

In June, the number of payroll jobs rose a seasonally adjusted
40,000 from the previous month, or 0.1%, to 59.63 million, the first m/m
rise in four month, reversing declines of 100,000 in May, 140,000 in
April and 460,000 in March.

On the other hand, the number of unemployed rose by a seasonally
adjusted 60,000 in June from the previous month, or 2.1%, to 2.89
million, marking the first rise in two months after falling 90,000 in
May.

On an unadjusted basis, the number of employed people rose by
30,000 to 60.02 million in June compared to a year earlier, posting the
third consecutive year-on-year rise after rising 90,000 in May.

Looking at the longer-term trend, the unadjusted number of jobless
workers was down by 360,000 in June from a year earlier at 2.93 million,
marking the 13th straight year-on-year decline, after falling 380,000 in
May.

Job losses were led by the accommodations, eating and drinking
services, information and communications as well as the agriculture and
forestry sectors.

Meanwhile, job creation continued to be led by medical, health care
and welfare as well as construction.

Other details of the report follow: The number of workers who
retired or whose contracts expired: June -30,000 y/y at 300,000 vs. May
-20,000 at 330,000.

The number of those who lost their jobs and were looking for work:
June -220,000 at 740,000 vs. May -220,000 at 750,000.

The number of people who quit their job voluntarily to look for
other openings: June +40,000 at 1.05 million vs. May -10,000 at 970,000.

tokyo@marketnews.com
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