JAPAN DATA: Japan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is
expected to stay relatively high at 5.1% in December, unchanged from
November and October, according to the median forecast of analysts
surveyed by Market News International. The ratio of job offers to job
seekers at government placement offices continued recovering gradually
to 0.58 in December from 0.57 in November, the survey showed, meaning
there were only 58 job offers for every 100 people looking for work but
it would be still the highest figure since 0.58 marked in February 2009.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will release the
unemployment rate while the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will
release the ratio of job offers to job seekers, both at 0830 JST on
Friday, Jan. 28. (2330 GMT Thursday).