Japan's jobless rate falls to 3.9% in June

I call BS on this one!

Don't be fooled, the real rate is around double this

3.9% is really low. I wonder what is considered full employment in Japan.

Old guys with glow sticks up 3.9%!

That is a very good sign! Hopefully this is the start of a positive trend for Japan.

Define "job". Because the vast majority of people working as temps on contracts by the hour with no job security or long term prospects are hardly going to be the ones to finally get the economy up and running again.

I call BS on this one!

I concur. One thing you simply can't trust is government statistics. That would be like playing any kind of sport and letting the other team keep score.

Most countries in the world would kill for a jobless rate like this. Why do people think this is BS? Are the streets full of unemployed people? jobcentres packed? Beggars everywhere?

Most countries in the world would kill for a jobless rate like this.

That's true. However, nearly all other Western countries are obligated to have large-scale immigration, which keeps the jobless rate there so high. In this regard, Japan is quite fortunate.

Got it. So the numbers are not real then. Still, something makes me think even if lots of the jobs don't make a lot of money or are only part time or are mindless lightwand waving or hole in the street guarding or whatever, that these people are still better off than the huge number in EU who can't get any work of any kind at all. Jeff, agree that immigration in Japan not a factor, not sure i entirely agree that lots of Western countries HAVE to take immigrants.

And yet people carp about lost decades and crappy Japanese economy. Jobless rate in EU is closer to 12%. Even if some of the jobs here are pretty lame (light stick wavers, greeters etc).

Awanomics is working! But, sigh, GW may be right...

Mirai HayashiJul. 30, 2013 - 10:44AM JST

3.9% is really low. I wonder what is considered full employment in Japan.

What's full employment got to with it?

Jobless figures in Japan are compiled by adding those people actively seeking work by venturing into 'Hello Work' and they haven't done one second of paid work, part time or otherwise, during the concerned period.

As others said, the figure in reality is double the official government statistic.

Everyone seems pre-occupied with the unemployment rate. It is not a great indicator here - the economy has been stagnant at best for 20 years, and seen even lower unemployment figures than 3.9%. Many employees jobs are cushioned regardless of economic circumstances, unlike the EU, US etc.

The figures to be very concerned about are the drop in consumer spending since a year ago, and the very worrying slide in industrial output. Japans copy of Reaganomics may not be the saviour some think it is. People should be spending more with tax hikes and inflation (supposedly) on the horizon - but are spending less. Not good signs.

Don't be fooled, the real rate is around double this

Even if it is double, that isn't bad these days compared to other developed economies.

Don't forget that there are a lot more people retiring than starting out due to Japan's demographics. Also those retiring were often on high wages and new employees are on subsistence incomes. Japan's true unemployment rate is at least double this, and it's true that even 8% would not be bad in most countries. In Japan though, the demographics trend towards negative unemployment anyway, so this statistic taken alone cannot be seen as a really positive indicator. Abegeddon still beckons.

"In Japan, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force."

http://www.tradingeconomics.com/japan/unemployment-rate

If accurate, this is actually pretty darn good, sure better than the US, actually better than most of the world. Its been a long time since the US dipped below 4%, and that was ever so brief.

Full employment in the US is like 4% which means that the demand for jobs is nominal. i wonder if full employment in Japan is in the low 3s or even 2% range.

Of course this is bull. What is a working person for example? Full time? Part time? An obasan working 3 hrs, once a week in the supermarket. Is that person considered employed?

If Japan instrad reported how many work for a salary you can actually live on, things would look a lot less rosy. The Japanese economy is based on these temporary part time working yes men.

Jobless rate in EU is closer to 12%

So is the jobless rate in Osaka.

These Hello Work offices are pretty depressing.

This statistic is misleading. The jobless rate in the major cities is much higher. It is just the rural areas that keep the statistics low with people involved in farming. Just because they have a job, doesn't mean they are actually making any money.

I'm not sure if there is a threshold for this, but I assume that if you work 10 hours a week at ¥1000 an hour, you would be considered employed. I'd rather see a statistic of "underemployed", which would paint a more realistic picture of what's going on in the job market.

Alex80: Italy's youth unemployment rate is 39 percent, right? Yeah, good example.

But it's not immigrants's fault. Not according to my point of view. Young Italians would never do some of the jobs that immigrants do.

Better than what comrade Obama has done with the US economy.

Great! More people in the work force. This means more tax revenue for the government and less people on welfare. So I guess we should be seeing a tax decrease some time soon?

" In separate figures released Tuesday, household spending last month slipped 0.4% from a year earlier, despite expectations of a rise as consumer prices went up for the first time in more than a year."

And this is where the logic of Abenomics doesn't make sense to me. The figures basically show that any increase in household spending is more than offset by LOWER spending by people, as they can no longer afford to buy as much as before, BECAUSE of the rising prices and salaries that stay the same. Hence the drop. So I fail to see how this is supposed to aide the economy and the consumers...

Most countries in the world would kill for a jobless rate like this. Why do people think this is BS? Are the streets full of unemployed people? jobcentres packed? Beggars everywhere?

Other developed countries have long-term unemployment benefits and family raising allowances.

Japan doesn't. Unless you go through a humiliating red tape scrutiny that shows you have no assets or relatives to help you make ends meet. They won't give you a yen.

" I concur. One thing you simply can't trust is government statistics. That would be like playing any kind of sport and letting the other team keep score."

I agree. As with essentially all government stastistics, they are self-serving, like a fox guarding the henhouse.

It's a lie that is told often enough, that people believe it. Been to all first word nations, but continue to be surprised by the number of homeless in Japan. Stories about people starving to death, the indicators would tell the real story. Statistics are maluable. If you do not work in Japan you become a ghost as you are worthless.

So this means Anenomics is working then?

Pull the other one!!!!

@JeffLee

However, nearly all other Western countries are obligated to have large-scale immigration, which keeps the jobless rate there so high. In this regard, Japan is quite fortunate.

Exactly they bring them in then blame them for stealing the jobs, bringing in their culture, making the local hating them but still bringing in some more.And it's astonishing that no one is asking WHY?

However, nearly all other Western countries are obligated to have large-scale immigration, which keeps the jobless rate there so high.

I'm from Italy. Immigrants usually do those jobs that Italians don't want do anymore. For example, there are tons of foreign women who look after old people. Their job is precious.

And it's astonishing that no one is asking WHY?

The question I would ask is how Japan can have 20 years of recession and zero growth, but an unemployment rate of only 4 to 5 percent.

Alex80: Italy's youth unemployment rate is 39 percent, right? Yeah, good example.

One answer may be the declining population. There are less people entering the job market and the baby boom population are retiring. Japan doesn't really have a immigration policy, it's more like no immigration. Even in high demand areas as nursing, not many will qualify. Japan has lost about 250-280K since last year. What would unemployment be if that population had been counted. The dropping population may help unemployment number but it will take a toll on productivity. With less workers, employers will have less choice in who they hire.

Where are the increase in Jobs went to if the industrial output fell sharply.

Industrial output down 3.3% nearly double than what economists had expected also household spending down 0.4%....and Abenomics is busy printing debt money? no wonder Nikkei 225 is tumbling.

When we had a job opening it was very hard to fill it. Granted we have special needs (Japanese with good English skills) and are in Gunma (i.e. the least interesting part of Japan), but it took us several months to find a good person.