The seasonally adjusted jobless rate remained at 5.1 percent in September, unchanged from the previous month, with both the number of people employed and those unemployed decreasing, the government said Friday.

The figure is well below the postwar record high of 5.5 percent marked earlier this year, having held steady after dropping to 5.1 percent in August for the first time in two years.

The number of people without jobs fell by 190,000 to 3.46 million, down for a fourth straight month, the Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Ministry said in a preliminary report.