Taipei: Taiwan's unemployment rate ended a three-month growth streak in September following a decline in first-time jobseekers with the end of the June-August graduation season, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said Monday. Data compiled by the DGBAS showed the jobless rate fell 0.07 percentage points from a month earlier to 3.38 percent in September, marking the lowest level for the month in 25 years.

According to Focus Taiwan, after seasonal adjustments, the local jobless rate was unchanged from August at 3.35 percent in September. In the first nine months of this year, Taiwan's jobless rate averaged 3.35 percent, down 0.04 percentage points from a year earlier. The DGBAS reported that the number of unemployed in September was 407,000, a decrease of 8,000 or 2.02 percent from the previous month, while the number of employed stood at 11.63 million, a decline of 11,000 or 0.10 percent from August. The labor participation rate was recorded at 59.51 percent, a fall of 0.07 percentage points.

Speaking with reporters, Tan Wen-ling, deputy director of the agency's Census Department, explained that the decrease in first-time jobseekers, as more graduates secure employment, contributed to the lower unemployment rate in September. The number of first-time jobseekers decreased by 4,000 from the previous month, and those who lost jobs due to business downsizing or closures also fell by 2,000 from August.

The DGBAS data indicated that individuals with a university degree experienced the highest unemployment rate at 4.60 percent in September, down from 4.68 percent in August. The jobless rate was 2.99 percent for those with a senior high school education and 2.14 percent for individuals with a junior high school education.

Unemployment among the 20-24 age group was 12.01 percent in September, reflecting a high concentration of first-time job seekers. The unemployment rate was 5.71 percent for the 25-29 age group and 9.48 percent for the 15-19 age group.

DGBAS data also showed that 129,000 people were in time-related underemployment in September, an increase of 8,000 from the previous month. This marked the third consecutive month that time-related unemployment rose, reaching the highest level this year. Tan noted that the rise in time-related unemployment and the decrease in employment within the export-oriented manufacturing sector highlight the impact of U.S. tariff policies and a production glut in the global market on Taiwan's job market.

The International Labor Organization defines time-related underemployment as a condition where workers' hours are insufficient compared to a more desirable employment situation in which they are willing and available to work more.