TOKYO, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Japan's job availability increased to its best level in 26 years in March, the government said in a report on Friday.
The ratio of job offers to job seekers stood at 1.45 in the reporting month, marking the highest since November 1990, and meaning that 145 positions were available for every 100 workers, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said.
The ratio also compares to 1.43 in February, the ministry said.
The jobless rate in March was unchanged at 2.8 percent, while household spending, a key indicator of private consumption, retreated 1.3 percent from a year ago to 297,942 yen (2,677 U.S. dollars).
The unemployment rate for men, meanwhile, dropped 0.2 point to 2.8 percent, separate data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed, while the rate for women stayed flat at 2.7 percent.
The number of unemployed people dropped a seasonally adjusted 3.2 percent in the recording period, the ministry said, which is the equivalent of a drop of 60,000 people to 1.84 million people.
Those in Japan in gainful employment rose 0.2 percent in the reporting period to 64.96 million workers, the ministry's data showed.
