Taipei- Taiwan's seasonally adjusted jobless rate skyrocketed to 5.33 per cent in January, as sharply reduced global demand seriously battered the local manufacturing industry, a government agency said Thursday.

Some 578,000 Taiwanese were officially classified as out of work, 29,000 more than in December, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said in a press statement.

The grim unemployment condition in January came after Taiwan's jobless rate surged past the 5 per cent level in December to a seasonally adjusted 5.01 per cent, the agency said.

The island's jobless rate has been rising for seven consecutive months, it said.

Agency officials cited the global economic downturn, which resulted in the closure and streamlining of local companies, as the major reason for the sharp increase in job losses.

They said compared with the same period last year, the number of unemployed increased by 167,000, while the number of those who worked less than 35 hours a week instead of the normal 40 hours surged to 1.19 million due to reduced business by local firms. (dpa)