Japan's jobless rate down to 3.7% in December

Japan's unemployment rate fell to 3.7 per cent in December from 4 per cent the previous month amid an economic recovery, the government said Friday according to dpa. The number of unemployed people declined by 340,000 from a year earlier, to 2.25 million, falling year-on-year for the 43rd straight month, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said. Wholesalers and retailers saw an increase of 180,000 jobs to 10.61 million and medical and welfare services also added 180,000 employees for a total of 7.45 million, the ministry said. The country's unemployment rate in 2013 fell 0.3 percentage points from the previous year to 4.0 per cent, the ministry said. Despite the decline, analysts said unstable forms of employment, especially among women and young people, remained one of the country’s most pressing issues. In 2012, the proportion of temporary and part-time workers was up for the third straight year to a record 38 per cent, the government said.