One out of 10 young people out of work

The average unemployment rate for 2003 among Japan's young people between 15 and 24 was at a record high of 10.01 percent.

The workforce report published on January 30 by the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications shows that the 2003 unemployment rate in Japan decreased by 0.1 point to 5.3 percent from the previous year. The year's average number of unemployed was 3.5 million. Last December, the unemployment rate fell to 4.9 percent, down 0.3 points from the previous month.

The overall unemployment rate nearly doubled from the burst of the bubble economy in 1994. This shows there has been no substantial improvement in the employment situation, which is extremely abnormal, reported Akahata on January 31.

Comparing unemployment rates between regions, Hokkaido's 6.7 percent was the highest among the nation's 47 prefectures , while 6.6 percent was for the Kinki metropolitan district that includes the large cities of Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto. (end)