Japan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at a preliminary 4.2 percent in September, down 0.1 point from August, as the ongoing economic recovery generated jobs in a wide range of industrial sectors, the government said Friday.
The rate was better than the average market projection of 4.3 percent. The jobless rate also stood at 4.2 percent in June, which was the lowest reading since July 1998.
The number of jobless people totaled 2.85 million in September, down 240,000 from a year earlier for the 28th straight month of decline, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said in a preliminary report.