TOKYO (AFX-ASIA) - State Minister for Economic and Fiscal Policy Heizo Takenaka said the employment situation continues to be severe, adding that both employment and broader macroeconomic measures must be pushed forward. "I think this figure (released today) shows it is necessary to start, not only new employment policies, but also macroeconomic policies," he said, noting the high male unemployment rate, relative to female. The unemployment rate in October rose to 5.4 pct, from 5.3 pct in September, but with male joblessness increasing to 5.8 pct, from 5.4 pct, while female unemployment fell to 4.8 pct, from 5.2 pct. Takenaka said the deceleration in the fall in CPI figures released today does not suggest a change in the deflationary trend. "The decline in CPI was smaller in today's figure but the overall trend has not changed. I think Japan is still encountering moderate deflation," he said. Meanwhile, Takenaka said the public's image of stock dealing needs to be cleaned up after recent criticism of politicians' equity holdings. "The majority of the public have a poor image of stock dealing. I think it is necessary to change this negative image," he said. "Politicians can access insider information much more easily than the general public. It is necessary to launch a framework to prevent this," he said.