Taiwan Jobless Rate Down

The unemployment rate for Taiwan in September moved lower as the number of people who quit their jobs or were laid off during the month was down from a month earlier. The number of first-time jobseekers still looking for work was also down in September as more university graduates were able to land jobs, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said Monday, CNA reported. The nominal unemployment rate, which is more sensitive to seasonal trends such as new graduates entering the workforce or increased hiring during holidays, was 3.77% in September, down 0.12 percentage points from August and down 0.22 percentage points year-on-year, the DGBAS said.Removing the seasonal effects, the seasonally adjusted jobless rate in September fell 0.05 percentage points from August to 3.71%, DGBAS figures showed. There were 445,000 people unemployed in September, down 16,000, or 3.43%, from August, while the number of those who were employed totaled 11.37 million, down 11,000, or 0.10%, from a month earlier, the DGBAS added.