TOKYO, June 3 — Over 16,700 people, working primarily in the hospitality industry, were laid off in Japan due to the coronavirus pandemic, reported Sputnik news agency, citing the country’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
According to the NHK broadcaster, from the period of late January to May 29, more than 3,700 people in the hotel business, 2,287 people working in companies operating tourist buses and taxis, and 2,122 people engaged in production all lost their jobs, indicating that the pandemic has affected industries related to tourism the most.
Geographically, Tokyo is the leader in terms of growing unemployment, where 2,495 people lost their jobs, followed by the Osaka prefecture with 1,789 and Hokkaido with 1,025.
In late May, the Japanese authorities released data on unemployment growth in the country.
The number of employed people in Japan fell by 800,000 in April year-on-year amid the coronavirus pandemic, which is the first drop in more than seven years.
The total number of those employed stood at 66.28 million. The total number of people registered as unemployed was 1.89 million in April, which is 130,000 more year-on-year.
The figure has been growing for the third straight month. Unemployment in April totaled 2.6 per cent, which is 0.1 points higher compared to the previous month.
The Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday, citing data collected by Tokyo Shoko Research Limited, that over 200 bankruptcies had been registered in the country over the pandemic.
The amount of debt stands at around US$100,000 per company.
— Bernama
