Tokyo: Japan's economy today showed fresh signs that it is recovering after a sharp downturn, with jobless figures hitting a four-month low, an easing in deflation and household spending edging up.
Japan's unemployment rate fell to a four-month low of 5.3 percent in September, beating the market expectation that it would rise to 5.6 percent, according to data from the internal affairs ministry.
The latest figure was down from 5.5 percent in August and the lowest since 5.2 percent in May.
A separate survey released by the labour ministry today showed there were 43 job offers for every 100 job seekers in September, slightly up from a record low of 42 in the previous two months.
It is the first time since May 2007 that the job-offer ratio has improved from the previous month.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, October 30, 2009, 10:00