Society

Coronavirus blamed for over 40,000 job losses

Jul 30 (NHK) - Japan's labor ministry says more than 40,000 people nationwide have lost or will lose their jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The ministry says 40,032 people became unemployed between late January and July 29 after they were dismissed or did not have their contracts renewed.

At least 15,000 of them are non-regular workers, including temporary staff and part-timers.

The number of people who lost jobs due to the virus outbreak has topped 10,000 for three straight months, from May to July.

Job losses are especially severe in the accommodation and restaurant sectors, and they are also increasing in the manufacturing sector.

Officials say that as of Tuesday, over 610,000 firms had filed applications for government subsidies to retain jobs amid the economic adversity caused by the pandemic. Nearly 500,000 of them have been approved.

The ministry says it will continue to urge businesses to make use of the subsidy program to keep their workers.

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