The unemployment rate last month edged down to 3.36 percent, slipping 0.02 percentage points from September and marking the lowest level in 25 years, as the impact of the graduation season faded, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday.
After seasonal adjustments, joblessness stood at 3.33 percent, easing by 0.02 percentage points.
Total unemployment was down 3,000 from September to 404,000, largely aided by a drop in first-time jobseekers, as more graduates secured employment, DGBAS Census Department Deputy Director Tan Wen-ling (譚文玲) said.
Photo: CNA
Overall employment increased to 11.64 million, up 5,000 from the prior month, Tan said.
The service sector generated most of the gains, adding 9,000 jobs, while industrial sectors shed about 1,000 positions as global demand remained uneven, she said.
The number of underemployed workers — a measure closely watched, because it often reflects unpaid leave or reduced working hours — also declined, Tan said.
Underemployment fell to 126,000, a retreat of 3,000 in September, she said.
Underemployed workers are defined as people whose weekly working hours fall below 35 due to economic factors, but who remain available and are willing to work more.
The indicator climbed from July and peaked at 129,000 in September, the highest level this year, before easing last month.
“The decline suggests that furlough programs tied to US reciprocal tariff pressures have largely stabilized,” Tan said, adding that the weaker New Taiwan dollar over the past few weeks also offered some support to employers.
Youth unemployment remained noticeably higher than the national average, with the jobless rate for people aged 20 to 24 at 11.81 percent, reflecting the adjustment period typically faced by first-time jobseekers.
The unemployment rate for those aged 25 to 29 was 5.78 percent, while joblessness among workers aged 30 to 34 was 3.22 percent, showing a more stable environment for mid-career employees.
A trend is emerging in the labor force participation of people aged 35 to 39 — a key segment of the prime working-age population: Participation in this group fell to 92.38 percent last month, down from 93.12 percent in January and nearly one percentage point lower than a year earlier.
The decline is visible, but not yet concerning, Tan said, adding that demographic factors, particularly declining birthrates, might be influencing workforce participation patterns.
Unemployment was highest among university graduates at 4.55 percent, followed by those with graduate degrees at 3.08 percent and high-school diploma holders at 3.01 percent. People with a junior-high education or below had the lowest jobless rate at 2.11 percent.
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