Japan's unemployment rate drops to 2.3 pct in September

TOKYO, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- The unemployment rate in Japan in September stood at 2.3 percent, falling from 2.4 percent from a month earlier, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said in a report on Tuesday.

The latest unemployment figures continued to remain close to the lowest level since the early 1990s.

Separately, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said that the job availability ratio stood at 1.64, up from 1.63 in August.

This marks the highest level since January 1974 and translates to there being 164 job openings available for every 100 people seeking work.

As Japan's population continues to rapidly age and shrink and in doing so hollowing out the workforce, the job-related figures reflect the ensuing labor crunch.