Tokyo - Japan's unemployment rate climbed to 3.6 percent in January for the first rise in four months, the government said on Friday.
Service and entertainment industries saw a decrease of 60 000 jobs from a year earlier to 2.27 million, and transport and mailing industries eliminated 60 000 positions to 3.32 million, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.
The number of temporary and part-time jobs rose by 330 000 from a year earlier to 19.89 million in January, the ministry said.
Critics say one of the country's pressing issues is unstable forms of employment, especially among women and young people. The proportion of temporary and part-time workers remained about 38 percent, the ministry's survey showed.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said the availability of jobs - measured as the ratio of job offers per job seeker - was unchanged at 1.14 in January from the previous month.
Sapa-dpa