CLA Minister Wang Ju-hsuan explained that ever since the global financial storm hit last September, Taiwan's unemployment rate has been increasing by 0.3 percentage points per month on average, reaching 5.75 percent in February.

However, the recent influx of rush orders for Taiwan's industrial sector has helped moderate the situation, Wang said.

She predicted that the official unemployment rate for March - set to be released today - "won't exceed 6 percent, though it will be slightly higher than in February."

She said the improvement in the unemployment situation is also reflected in the declining number of first-time applicants for unemployment benefits.

From December to February, an average over 30,000 people per month applied for the benefits for the first time after becoming unemployed, but the number dropped to 28,000 in March, Wang said.

During the first 20 days of April, there were just 14,000 such applications, she added.

Wang warned, however, that the unemployment rate could rise again in August and September, when many of this year's graduates are expected to enter the job market.

The CLA also announced yesterday the introduction of a program aimed at providing psychological support for the country's unemployed.