Japan's April jobless rate rises to 2.8% under COVID cloud

Slow return to pre-pandemic employment levels expected in US and elsewhere

A worker cleans a counter at a pub in Nagoya. Japan's coronavirus restrictions have disproportionately hurt part-time workers, many of whom are women. © Kyodo

MITSURU OBE, Nikkei Asia chief business news correspondent

May 28, 2021 08:33 JST

Updated on May 28, 2021 10:29 JST

TOKYO -- Japan's jobless rate stood at 2.8% in April, compared with 2.6% the previous month, the Statistics Bureau said Friday, as the country struggles with a fitful economic recovery while enduring the coronavirus pandemic.

The number of people in jobs fell for the second straight month, to 66.58 million, down 0.4% on the month and off 1.3% from February 2020, before COVID-19 hit.