Japan's jobless rate drops to 2.3 pct in June

TOKYO, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Japan's unemployment rate dropped in June from a month earlier, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said in a report on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, the unemployment rate stood at 2.3 percent in the recording month, down from 2.4 percent a month earlier.

Separately, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said the job availability ratio stood at 1.61, down from 1.62 a month earlier.

The ratio equates to there being 161 available jobs for every 100 people seeking work.

The figures highlight the ongoing labor crunch Japan is experiencing as the workforce is rapidly being hollowed out by Japan's increasingly aging and simultaneously shrinking population.