Japan Unemployment Rate

Japan’s unemployment rate was at 2.5% in January 2025, slightly above market estimates and December's readings of 2.4%. The number of unemployed increased by 20 thousand to a six-month peak of 1.74 million while employment increased by 130 thousand to a new peak of 68.27 million. The labor force rose by 130 thousand to 70.01 million, and those detached from the labor force declined by 110 thousand to 39.81 million. The non-seasonally adjusted labor force participation rate increased to 63.2% in November from 62.6% in the same month a year earlier. Meanwhile, the jobs-to-applications ratio edged up to a nine-month high of 1.26 from 1.25 in the previous three months, topping consensus of 1.25.