Jobless rate rises to 3.19%

Taiwan's unemployment rate rose to its highest level in 15 months -- for the month of October -- "dissatisfied" workers quit and companies closed their businesses.

The unadjusted jobless rate rose to 3.19 percent from 3.10 percent in September as the number of workers sacked by foreclosed companies rose by 6,000. Another 10,000 people quit, many citing dissatisfaction with their jobs, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said.

In the wake of the higher jobless rate, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) said yesterday that the government will create more job opportunities, strengthen vocational training and use the Employment Stabilization Fund to improve the unemployment problem.

The jobless rate is the highest recorded in October since 1985. Adjusted for seasonal changes, unemployment rose to 3.07 percent from 2.91 percent in September.

Taiwan's average unadjusted unemployment rate in the first 10 months of the year was 2.94 percent.

The statistics agency said the total number of people without work rose to 313,000 in October from 304,000 in September. The workforce in the month rose 16,000 people, or 0.17 percent, from September to 9.52 million and was up 97,000 people, or 1.03 percent, over a year ago.