Japan’s unemployment rate hit a 16-year low in May, suggesting the economy will rebound in the third quarter from a sales tax hike and consequent slump in consumer spending.
The jobless rate in the world’s third-largest economy fell to 3.5 percent, the lowest since 1997 and a level the Bank of Japan says is near full employment. At the same time, the availability of jobs rose to its highest level since 1992, good news for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as he tries to cement a recovery after two decades of stagnation.
The strong employment numbers were published alongside other data on Friday showing Japan’s household spending fell 8 percent in the year to May, four times the drop projected in a median market forecast and more than the 4.6 percent decline in April.
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