Japan's jobless rate unchanged at 2.6 pct in October

　　TOKYO, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Japan's unemployment rate in October remained at 2.6 percent for the third straight month, but the number of jobless people continued to increase, government data showed Friday.

　　The number of employed individuals edged up 0.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted 68.46 million, while those without jobs grew 2.2 percent to 1.85 million, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

　　Of those unemployed, 460,000 people left their jobs involuntarily, up 7 percent from the previous month, while the number of people newly seeking jobs rose 4.2 percent to 500,000, the ministry said.

　　Meanwhile, the number of female workers stood at 31.59 million, the highest level since comparable data became available in January 1953.

　　Separate data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare showed Japan's average job availability ratio decreased 0.02 points from September to 1.18 in October, meaning there were 118 job openings for every 100 job seekers.

　　The latest job-to-applicant ratio fell below 1.20 for the first time since January 2022 amid the use of self-checkout systems and the gradual rise of minimum wages across the country, according to the ministry. ■