Taiwan's April Unemployment Rate Improves to 70-Month Low of 3.91%

With economic outlook gradually brightening to motivate domestic enterprises to increase recruitment, Taiwan's unemployment rate in April declined to 3.91%, a 70-month nadir since the outbreak of the global financial crisis, according to the latest report by Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).

The report shows unemployed people decreased to some 449,000 in the month, when layoffs due to factory shutdowns also notably declined by 5,000, showing improved job market.

Significant improvement of unemployment rates was also seen among youths and the highly educated. The report indicates the unemployment rate of citizens aged 20-24 and 25-29 dropped 0.39 and 0.1 of a percentage point, respectively, to 12.84% and 6.91% in the month, while that of university graduates and those with higher education also dropped to a 70-month low of 4.8%.

DGBAS says that the number of people on payrolls increased 13,000 in April over March, nearly a half recruited in the wholesale and retail sectors.

On whether the unemployment rate will continue to drop in May, DGBAS officials, however, are cautious and stressed that it depends on economic climate, enterprise willingness to recruit workers, and graduates'  intention to seek jobs in advance. (SC)

Taiwan's Unemployment Rate by Month
Month	Overall Unemployment Rate	Laid-off Workers Due to Factory Shutdowns	Unemployment Rate of People Aged 15-24	Unemployment Rate of University Graduates and those finishing higher education
Aug., 2013	4.33%	136,000	14.06%	5.68%
Sept., 2013	4.24%	138,000	13.95%	5.45%
Oct., 2013	4.24%	140,000	13.89%	5.35%
Nov., 2013	4.16%	138,000	13.56%	5.21%
Dec., 2013	4.08%	139,000	13.10%	5.03%
Jan., 2014	4.02%	140,000	12.69%	4.90%
Feb., 2014	4.09%	139,000	12.89%	5.03%
Mar., 2014	4.03%	136,000	12.58%	4.98%
Apr., 2014	3.91%	131,000	12.27%	4.80%

Source: Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics