Japan's unemployment rate in August fell 0.2 percentage point from the previous month to 2.5 percent, following a deterioration in July, as more workers who had been seeking better conditions found new jobs, government data showed Tuesday.

The total number of people with jobs grew 0.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted 67.91 million, the highest since comparable data became available in 1953, while those without jobs dropped 8.0 percent to 1.72 million, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.

Of those not in work, 700,000 people voluntarily left their jobs, down 13.6 percent from July, and 390,000 individuals were let go, down 13.3 percent.

The report indicated many workers who left their jobs in July to seek new opportunities found new employment the following month, a ministry official said, adding, "This isn't a bad trend as they have been steadily enrolled."

Shinichiro Kobayashi, a senior economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting, said, "The labor market has proven to be very tight and rising wages have attracted those who were previously not seeking jobs such as women and the elderly."

"This situation is expected to continue, especially with minimum wages set to rise nationwide starting in October," Kobayashi said.

The job availability ratio decreased 0.01 point from July to 1.23, indicating there were 123 jobs available for every 100 job seekers, according to separate data released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

The ratio dropped following a rise the previous month, indicating some companies remain reluctant to expand payrolls, reeling from higher costs due to a weak yen.

By industry, there were 1.4 percent more job offers in the information and communication sector than a year earlier.

In contrast, new job openings in hotel and restaurant services plunged 23.5 percent, followed by lifestyle and entertainment services with a 12.3 percent decline.