Wed, Nov 23, 2022 page12

• Jobless rate dips as recent graduates land positions

  MARKET STABILIZING: The reopening of the nation’s borders have lent support to tourism-related sectors, while fewer people lost jobs to downsizing and closures

  • By Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter
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  The unemployment rate last month dipped 0.02 percentage points to 3.64 percent as recent graduates landed positions, while fewer people lost jobs to business downsizing and closures, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday.

  The unemployment rate fell for the second month in a row to the lowest in six months, suggesting a stable job market as evidenced by the reading remaining unchanged at 3.64 percent after seasonal adjustments, the agency said.

  The downtrend is expected to persist through the end of the year, thanks to the high season for domestic service providers, DGBAS Census Department Deputy Director Chen Hui-hsin (陳惠欣) said.

  

  Chen Hui-hsin, deputy director of the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics’ Census Department, addresses a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

  Photo: Claire Cheng, Taipei Times

  The unemployment rate traditionally falls 0.09 to 0.19 percentage points in November and December, Chen said.

  The reopening of the nation’s border to foreign tourists in the middle of last month would lend support to travel agencies, hotels, restaurants, retailers, amusement parks and other tourism operators, Chen added.

  Health authorities are expected to ease mask requirements soon, in light of a steady decline in daily COVID-19 caseloads in Taiwan.

  The unemployed population last month fell by 2,000 from a month earlier to 431,000 after the number of people who lost jobs to business downsizing and closures dropped by 3,000, the agency said.

  The number of unemployed people has fallen for a fourth straight month, even though local manufacturers have been affected by a global economic slowdown induced by fast monetary tightening, Chen said.

  The number of people who worked fewer than 35 hours per week rose by 9,000 to 222,000, the agency said.

  People on furlough are not reflected in unemployment figures, as they receive partial compensation, Chen said.

  The unemployment period averaged 21.5 weeks, dropping 0.5 weeks from a month earlier, the DGBAS said, adding that the period is shorter for first-time jobseekers at 20.1 weeks, as they are more flexible in their job preferences.

  By education breakdown, people with college degrees had the highest unemployment rate at 5.22 percent, followed by people with high-school education at 3.25 percent, people with graduate diplomas at 2.79 percent and people with junior-high school education at 2.57 percent, the DGBAS said.

  People aged 20 to 24 had the highest unemployment rate at 12.27 percent, followed by the 15-to-19 age bracket at 9.06 percent, the 25-to-29 age group at 6.14 percent and the 30-to-34 age bracket at 3.76 percent, the agency said.

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