Jobless rate ends 3-month rising streak in September

Taipei, Oct. 27 (CNA) Taiwan's unemployment rate ended a three-month growth streak in September following a decline in first-time jobseekers with the end of the June-August graduation season, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said Monday.

Data compiled by the DGBAS showed the jobless rate fell 0.07 percentage points from a month earlier to 3.38 percent in September, the lowest level for the month in 25 years.

After seasonal adjustments, the local jobless rate was unchanged from August at 3.35 percent in September, the data indicated.

In the first nine months of this year, Taiwan's jobless rate averaged 3.35 percent, down 0.04 percentage points from a year earlier, according to the DGBAS.

In September, the DGBAS said, the number of unemployed was 407,000, down 8,000 or 2.02 percent from a month earlier, while the number of employed stood at 11.63 million, down 11,000 or 0.10 percent from August with the labor participation rate at 59.51 percent, a fall of 0.07 percentage points.

Speaking with reporters, Tan Wen-ling (譚文玲), deputy director of the agency's Census Department, said with more and more graduates landing a job, the number of first-time jobseekers is on the decline, driving the September unemployment rate lower.

In September, the number of first-time jobseekers fell 4,000 from a month earlier, while the number of those who lost jobs due to business downsizing or closures also fell 2,000 from August, the DGBAS said.

By education level, those with a university degree had the highest unemployment rate at 4.60 percent in September, down from 4.68 percent in August, the DGBAS said.

The jobless rate was 2.99 percent people with a senior high school education and 2.14 percent for individuals with a junior high school education in September, the DGBAS added.

In addition, unemployment among the 20-24 age group was 12.01 percent in September, reflecting the high concentration of first-time job seekers, while the rate was 5.71 percent for the 25-29 age group and 9.48 percent for the 15-19 age group, according to the DGBAS.

DGBAS data also showed that 129,000 people were in time-related underemployment in September, up 8,000 from a month earlier.

It was the third straight month that time-related unemployment moved higher in September, reaching the highest level this year, Tan said.

The number employed in the export-oriented manufacturing sector fell 4,000 from August. Tan said the rise in time-related unemployment and the drop in employment in the manufacturing sector, providing evidence that amid U.S. tariff policies, a production glut in the global market has affected Taiwan's job market, Tan added.

The International Labor Organization defines time-related underemployment as workers whose hours are insufficient compared with a more desirable employment situation in which they are willing and available to work more.