September - Jobs Decline

 The seasonally adjusted effective ratio of job openings to job seekers in September fell 0.02 point from the previous month to 0.81, the first decline since July 2009, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Tuesday.

The first drop in 38 months drop came as job openings in the automobile industry decreased due to the yen's appreciation and the end of a government subsidy program for eco-friendly vehicles, a ministry official said.

In three prefectures of Tohoku, the region hit hardest by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, the jobs-to-applicants ratio fell due to an increase of job seekers. The ratio stood at 0.89 in Iwate, down 0.05 point, 1.08 in Miyagi, down 0.02 point, and 1.01 in Fukushima, down 0.03 point.
The number of new job openings nationwide, a leading indicator of the employment situation, fell 1.5 percent to 730,000 after seasonal adjustment, the ministry said.


http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/T121030002609.htm