Japan's Jobs Availability Ratio Dips in Feb.

   Tokyo, April 1 (Jiji Press)--Japan's jobs availability ratio dipped for the first time in six months in February as businesses refrained from hiring employees due to higher costs despite labor shortages, the labor ministry said on Tuesday.
   The seasonally adjusted ratio of effective job openings to job seekers fell 0.02 point from the previous month to 1.24. The ratio indicates the number of jobs available for each applicant at Hello Work public job placement offices across the country.
   The internal affairs ministry separately said that the unemployment rate dropped for the first time in five months in February, falling 0.1 percentage point to 2.4 pct.
   The labor ministry said that the number of available jobs fell 1.7 pct to 2.35 million. The number of job seekers was 0.5 pct lower at 1.9 million.
   New job offers decreased across major industries such as manufacturing and hotels and restaurants.

(2025/04/01-13:45)