The seasonally adjusted jobless rate remained at a six-year low of 4.5 percent in January, unchanged from December, the government said Tuesday.

The number of jobless people fell by 270,000 to 2.96 million from a year earlier, down for the 20th straight month, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said in a preliminary report.

The December and January rates were the same as the level registered in January 1999. The December rate was revised to 4.5 percent from 4.4 percent in an initial report.