TOKYO, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Japan's unemployment rate declined in July from a month earlier, the government said in a report on Friday.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the unemployment rate dropped to 2.2 percent in July from 2.3 percent June.
Separately, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said the job availability ratio stood at 1.59 in July, falling from 1.61 in June.
The figure equates to there being 159 job openings for every 100 people seeking work.
The latest employment figures continue to underscore the severe labor crunch Japan is experiencing and the hollowing out of its workforce amid a demographic crisis here as society continues to rapidly age and simultaneously shrink.