Taiwan’s unemployment rate went up slightly in August to 3.9%. That’s up 0.08 percentage points from July but down 0.18 percentage points from a year ago.
The August unemployment rate was the lowest for the month since August 2000. When seasonal factors were taken out, the jobless rate was 3.74%, the same as July.
The reasons for the rise in the jobless rate are the large number of fresh graduates and temporary workers who have ended their summer jobs and entered the job market. The jobless rate for the 20-24 age bracket stood at 13.64%, while the rate in the 25-29 age bracket was 6.71%. Both figures rose from the previous month, but dropped compared to August last year.
The government statistics office said the jobless rate is likely to drop in September.