The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate jumped to 4.5 percent in October from 4.2 percent in September, the government said Tuesday, adding that the rise in the jobless figure is temporary and reflects workers seeking better jobs amid the economic recovery.
The number of jobless totaled 3.04 million in the reporting month, down 70,000 from a year earlier for the 29th straight year-on-year decline, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said in a preliminary report.
The October jobless rate was higher than the average 4.2 percent predicted by private-sector economists polled by Kyodo News. The figure is the highest since March, when the jobless rate also hit 4.5 percent.