Taipei - Taiwan's jobless rate rose to a five-year high in October, as export orders fell for the first time in six years due to global economic slowdown and financial turmoil, government agencies said Monday.

October's jobless rate rose to 4.37 last month, the highest since October 2004, with 476,000 people officially unemployed, the agency said.

The global slowdown also hurt Taiwan's export orders, which declined 5.56 per cent year-on-year in October for the first time in six years, the Economics Ministry said. (dpa)