TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The jobless rate reached a nine-month high of 3.4% in July due to an influx of recent graduates into the labor market, the government said Friday.

Nevertheless, the July figure also amounted to a 25-year low for the month, per UDN. There was no clear impact from US tariffs on Taiwan’s jobs performance.

The Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics predicted the rate was likely to rise again in August because of seasonal factors. On the whole, the country’s job situation is stable, officials said.

The government counted 409,000 people out of work in July, an increase of 5,000 or 1.39% from June. Compared to July 2024, the number of jobless declined by 6,000 or 1.34%.

The July unemployment rate for the age group from 20 to 24 reached 11.91%, including mostly first-time job seekers. The age group from 25 to 29 counted 6% unemployed, while the jobless rate for the 30-to-34 age group stood at 3.44% in July.

The employed numbered 11.63 million in July, an increase of 21,000 or 0.18% from June. The services sector added 23,000 people or 0.33%, while industry did not record any major movement.

If compared with July 2024, the number of employed increased by 27,000, with the period from January to July posting an average of 11.61 million employed, an increase of 32,000 or 0.27% over the same period last year.