TOKYO -- Japan's job openings-to-applicants ratio came to 1.52 in July on seasonally adjusted terms, rising 0.01 of a point from June and improving for the fifth straight month, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said on Tuesday.

The reading was in line with a median estimate by 18 research institutions, compiled by QUICK.

There were 152 jobs available for every 100 applicants -- the most since February 1974. July's ratio exceeded that seen in the early 1990s, during Japan's economic bubble era.

The leading indicator for the labor market shows the number of job postings for every job seeker -- excluding new graduates -- at public employment offices.

For permanent jobs, the ratio of job openings to applicants was 1.01 to 1, unchanged from June, when it rose above parity for the first time since record keeping began in November 2004.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate stood at 2.8% in July on a seasonally adjusted basis, unchanged from the previous month, according to data released by the Internal Affairs Ministry the same day.

The latest unemployment rate was also in line with a median estimate by 19 research institutions surveyed by QUICK.

The total number of workers came to 65.63 million, up 590,000 from a year earlier, with both regular and nonregular workers increasing.

The unemployed population totaled 1.91 million, down 120,000 from the previous year.