Japan employment remains weak as service sector cuts back

Sept. job availability gauge deteriorates amid COVID uncertainty

20201028 Commuters in Tokyo

Japan's central bank has called the country's employment and income situation "weak" despite improvements in exports and industrial production. (Photo by Akira Kodaka) 

MITSURU OBE, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- The jobless rate in Japan stood at 3.0% in September, unchanged from August, data from the Statistics Bureau showed on Friday, in the latest sign of an uneven recovery from the coronavirus crisis.

The September reading remains at the highest level since May 2017, when it stood at 3.1%, indicating that a manufacturing-led recovery in recent months has not been enough to reduce unemployment caused by the pandemic.

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