The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan reported a slight decrease in the job availability ratio for Kyushu and Okinawa in April, dropping by 0.01 points from the previous month to 1.29 times. This dip comes amidst an overall high job availability trend since the advent of COVID-19, but specific sectors, like manufacturing, have witnessed a stagnation in job growth.
Among the prefectures, Kagoshima saw the most significant decline of 0.05 points, resulting in a job ratio of 1.21 times. This drop was mainly due to a decrease in job openings in the construction and manufacturing sectors. In Kumamoto, the job availability ratio fell by 0.04 points to 1.37 times. This was partly due to the completion of recovery efforts from the heavy rainfall disaster in July 2020, which created a surplus of labor force.
Sakae Adachi, director of the Fukuoka Labour Bureau, maintained a positive outlook for job recovery. Adachi highlighted that strong personal consumption, especially in travel and dining, is expected to boost job recovery in accommodations, food services, and retail sectors that were heavily affected by the pandemic. However, the persistent rise in raw material and fuel costs, which puts pressure on corporate profits, is a cause for concern. There are apprehensions that prolonged high prices could negatively impact employment in the future. Source: MHLW / Nikkei
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