OPEN POSITIONS:The service industry hired 58,000 people last month, while the industrial and agricultural sectors added 10,000 jobs in total, the DGBAS said

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 24, 2017
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter

The nation’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.79 percent last month, the lowest December figure in 16 years, as companies increased headcount amid continued economic recovery, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said in a report yesterday.

The jobless rate might drop further this month and through the Lunar New Year holiday, ending in early next month when retailers and eateries, as well as lodging and entertainment facilities, tend to add temporary positions to meet increasing demand, the agency said.

The service industry hired 58,000 people last month, while the industrial and agricultural sectors added 8,000 and 2,000 employees respectively, the report showed.

This lowered the nation’s unemployed population by 9,000 people to 446,000 last month with the seasonally adjusted jobless rate falling by 0.02 percentage points to 3.82 percent, the report said.    [FULL  STORY]