Industrial output in Japan dropped just over 8% in November compared with the previous month, the biggest fall on record, government figures show.<p>

At the same time, unemployment rose to nearly 4% of the population.<p>

More than 2.5m people were out of work in Japan in November, a rise of 100,000 compared with the year before.<s> Those on temporary contracts are worst affected.<p>

Factories were closed and jobs cut as demand for manufactured goods slumped amid the global financial downturn.<p>

Production at major Japanese manufacturers fell by 3.1% in October.<p>

November's 8.1% drop was the largest since records of such output statistics began. <p>