Japan's jobless rate jumps for second straight month

---

TOKYO, Oct 30 (AFP): Japan's unemployment rate jumped unexpectedly for a second straight month in September, the government said today, raising concerns about the outlook for the labour market, a key pillar of the economy.
The rise to 4.0 per cent defied market forecasts for the jobless rate to hold steady at 3.8 per cent after August's rise from a nine-year low of 3.6 per cent seen in July.
Japan's economy has been steadily recovering from recession in the 1990s although there are concerns about the impact of slowing US growth.
Signs of a weakening labour market will make it even harder for the central bank to justify another interest rate rise any time soon, analysts said.
The rise in the jobless rate prompted the government to revise its assessment of the labour market for the first time in over two years as small and mid-sized companies in particularly hire fewer new workers.
"The number of fresh job offers on a real term basis by small-and mid-sized companies has declined in the past nine consecutive months," noted a labour ministry official.
Japan's strong labour market has been a key driver of the country's economic recovery from a slump stretching back over a decade.