Taiwan's Sept. unemployment rate dips slightly

Taiwan's unemployment rate dipped slightly to 4.32 percent in September, 0.08 percentage points lower than in August, according to figures released on Monday by the island's statistics authorities.

Compared with the same period last year, Taiwan's unemployment rate rose 0.04 percentage points in September.

After seasonal adjustment, the unemployment rate stood at 4.30 percent, 0.01 percentage points higher than in August. The number of unemployed people on the island stood at 49,100, 11,000 lower than the previous month.

The figures also showed that the number of employed people fell 0.21 percent from August to 10.878 million in September, mainly because many students who took up temporary jobs in the summer break had left the job market to return to schools and colleges.

Taiwan's jobless rate has remained at relatively high levels during the past few months amid slowing economic growth as global economic turbulence dampens demand for its exports.

Unemployment is especially acute among young people. For job seekers aging 15 to 24, the unemployment rate was 13.57 percent in September.

Compared with August, the number of people working in the service sector fell 0.29 percent in September, while the number also dipped 0.41 percent and 0.06 percent in the agricultural and industrial sectors respectively.