Regarding a mild increase in the unemployment rate to 4.4 percent in August based on the report released today by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, the Executive Yuan stated that this increase was due to seasonal adjustments and increased numbers of job seekers. However, since the labor force participation rate has risen, the overall job market may respond within a controlled range, it asserted.
There were 18,000 more job seekers in August than there were in July, demonstrating that the hike in the unemployment rate was not the result of fewer job opportunities. In fact, the labor participation rate had been rising since January, the Executive Yuan pointed out. Moreover, no major fluctuations had been registered in the average salaries of industry and service sector employees as of the end of July, indicating that the job market has been stable.
The Executive Yuan reiterated that the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) will continue to create job opportunities, conduct job matching and vocational training, increase communication with and visits to enterprises to get a firm grasp of their labor shortages and host job expos and other recruiting events to help job seekers swiftly get employed. In select areas, it has also begun a service to assign staff to helping job hunters find work on a one-on-one basis until they are hired.
In addition, the CLA strives to help unemployed and on-the-job workers raise their employment skills and accumulate human capital by promoting vocational training for the jobless and youth seeking employment, investing in personnel for industrial needs and hosting re-training programs.
The Executive Yuan said that it would continue to closely monitor the employment situation, and should the unemployment rate continue to rise, it would implement short-, mid-, and long-term response measures.