The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics announced today (22nd) that the unemployment rate for March is 3.35%, an increase of 0.01 percentage points from the previous month, marking two consecutive months of rise while achieving a 25-year low for this month. The highest unemployment rates were observed among young job seekers, with an unemployment rate of 8.32% for those aged 15-19 and 11.35% for those aged 20-24.

Furthermore, the total number of employed individuals in March was 11.61 million, a decrease of 6,000 or 0.05% compared to the previous month. In this period, the service industry saw a decrease of 4,000 (-0.06%), while the industrial sector declined by 3,000 (-0.07%). Only the agricultural sector experienced a slight increase of 1,000 (+0.23%).

Comparatively, the number of unemployed individuals in March was 403,000, a month-on-month increase of 1,000 or 0.21%. Notably, the average unemployment rate for the first quarter is 400,000, reflecting a decrease of 3,000 or 0.63% when compared to last year. This March's unemployment rate of 3.35% marks an increase of 0.01 percentage points from the previous month but a decrease of 0.03 percentage points from the same month last year.

According to educational levels, the unemployment rate is highest among university graduates at 4.52%, followed by high school graduates at 3.13%, and graduate degree holders at 2.87%. In age distribution, the unemployment rate is highest at 11.35% for the 20-24 age group, with the 15-19 group at 8.32%, and 25-29 at 5.73%.

Deputy Director Tan Wen-Ling indicated that the overall labor market remains stable, and the March employment situation has not yet been affected by the announced equal tariff from the United States.