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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》May unemployment rate 3.27 ％ hits 26-year low
People walk across a street in Taipei’s Neihu Technology Park yesterday. Photo: CNA
POCKETS OF RESISTANCE:Long-term joblessness, as well as a dearth of positions for younger workers entering the market after graduating from college, remains
By Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter
Taiwan’s unemployment rate fell to 3.27 percent last month, the lowest level for May in 26 years, as a strong economy and resilient domestic demand continued to support job creation, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics （DGBAS） said yesterday.
The number of unemployed people declined to 393,000, while total employment increased, pushed by solid labor market conditions and buoyant economic activity, the statistics agency said.
DGBAS Census Department Deputy Director Tan Wen-ling （譚文玲） said wealth effects from a rally in the local stock market helped lift private consumption, which in turn supported hiring in domestically oriented service industries.
Employment in the service sector — particularly accommodation and food services — continued to expand last month, with service-sector employment rising by 50,000 from a year earlier, Tan said.
The improving economic backdrop helped reduce voluntary and involuntary unemployment, including layoffs linked to business downsizing or closures, she added.
After seasonal adjustment, the unemployment rate edged down 0.02 percentage points from April to 3.32 percent.
The number of unemployed people fell by 4,000 from April to 393,000, mainly driven by a decline in layoffs due to business contractions or closures, the DGBAS said.
Compared with a year earlier, unemployment was down by 3,000, it said.
By education level, university graduates recorded the highest unemployment rate at 4.35 percent, followed by senior high-school or vocational school graduates at 3.11 percent. Those with postgraduate degrees had the lowest rate at 2.76 percent, the DGBAS said.
Younger workers remained the most vulnerable group in the labor market, as the unemployment rate among those aged 15 to 24 stood at 11.14 percent, reflecting challenges faced by first-time job seekers entering the workforce, the agency said.
The rate was 5.79 percent for those aged 25 to 29 and 3.30 percent for those aged 30 to 34, it added.
The average duration of unemployment lengthened to 20.9 weeks last month, up from 19.7 weeks in April. First-time job seekers were unemployed for an average of 23.5 weeks, an increase of 2.2 weeks, while those with prior work experience averaged 20.2 weeks, up 0.9 weeks, the DGBAS said.
Underemployment rose, with the number of people working fewer hours than desired increasing by 2,000 from April and by 3,000 from a year earlier to 117,000, the agency said.
In addition, long-term unemployment worsened, with the number of people unemployed for more than one year rising to 49,000, up 5,000 from April and 7,000 from a year earlier, it added.
In the first five months of this year, average unemployment stood at 398,000, down 1,000 from a year earlier, suggesting that Taiwan’s labor market remained broadly stable overall even as pockets of weakness persisted among younger and long-term job seekers, the DGBAS said.
Tan said the unemployment rate could edge higher this month as new graduates enter the labor market, a seasonal trend that typically puts upward pressure on joblessness.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
