Taipei, Aug. 22 (CNA) Taiwan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dipped to 3.43 percent in July to reach its lowest level since December 2000, according to figures released by the Directorate of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) Tuesday.Although the unadjusted unemployment rate rose for the second consecutive month to 3.56 percent, the DGBAS said this was largely a temporary graduation season spike driven by school leavers entering the job market.With seasonal adjustments to account for first-time job seekers factored in, unemployment in Taiwan declined 0.02 percent points between June and July to reach its lowest level since December 2000, when the jobless rate stood at 3.37 percent, according to the DGBAS.Speaking with reporters, DGBAS Census Department Deputy Director Chen Hui-hsin (陳惠欣) said the growth in the unadjusted unemployment rate in July was within the normal range of between 0.04 and 0.11 percentage points.While the 0.02 percentage point decline in the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate pointed to relative stability in the local job market, Chen admitted that weakening overseas demand had continued to affect Taiwan's export-orientated manufacturing sector.However, Chen said, this had been offset by a post-COVID-19 boom in hiring in the local service sector.According to the DGBAS, job losses in July rose by 9,000, or 2.23 percent, from a month earlier to 426,000, while the number of those who were employed also grew 25,000 or 0.22 percent, from June to 11.54 million.Taiwan's labor participation rate, meanwhile, rose 0.14 percentage points to reach 59.31 percent in July, the DGBAS said.The DGBAS added that in the first seven months of 2023, the local unemployment rate averaged 3.52 percent, a 0.16 percentage point decrease compared with 2022.Over the same period, the monthly unemployment total averaged 419,000, down 17,000 or 3.92 percent year-over-year, the DGBAS said.In July, the graduation season pushed up the number of first-time jobseekers by 6,000 from a month earlier, while the number of those who quit their original jobs to look for a new job also grew by 2,000 from June, the DGBAS said.However, the number of those who lost their jobs due to business downsizing or closures stayed little changed from a month earlier in July, the DGBAS added.While unemployment rose slightly in July, 4,000 fewer people worked for less than 35 hours a week compared to a month earlier due to factors such as weaker business operations, bringing the total to 198,000 people, the DGBAS said.On a year-over-year basis, the number fell sharply by 76,000 as the COVID-19 pandemic spooked the local job market over the same period of last year, the DGBAS said.By education level, the unemployment rate among university graduates stood at 4.93 percent, the highest among all educational levels, while the rate for individuals with only a senior high school or junior high school education was 3.28 percent and 2.44 percent, respectively, according to DGBAS data.By age, the unemployment rate for those aged 20-24 in July was 12.44 percent, the majority of whom were first-time job seekers in the age group, while the jobless rate stood at 8.54 percent for the 15-19 age group, and 5.82 percent for those aged 25-29, the data indicated.Looking ahead, the DGBAS said the graduation season effects are expected to continue to weigh on local employment in August, and the jobless rate is likely to move lower in September.(By Pan Tzu-yu and Frances Huang)Enditem/ASG (ICE TAIPEI)

Fonte notizia: Organi di Stampa - Focus Taiwan News Channel