(1) Employment

       The number of employed persons in January 2006 was 62.69 million, an increase of 80 thousand or 0.1% from the previous year.

(2) Unemployment

       The number of unemployed persons was 2.92 million, a decrease of 40 thousand or 1.4% from the previous year.

       The unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted, was 4.5%.