JAPAN

Jobless Rate Hits Record High in ‘94: Although the rate dipped in December, according to the government, it jumped to 2.9% last year from 2.5% in 1993. The previous high was 2.8% in 1986 and ‘87, when a strong yen worked against economic growth. The number of unemployed averaged 1.92 million in 1994, up 260,000 from 1993. As for the effect of the earthquake, government officials said they were unable to assess the impact on employment of the Jan. 17 temblor that devastated the Kobe area. “In the short term, it is expected to have a negative effect, but in the medium to long term, it may have a positive impact,” a Labor Ministry official said.