Japan Unemployment Rate

Japan’s unemployment rate stood at 2.6% in November 2025, unchanged from the previous three months and in line with market estimates. It remained the highest reading since July 2024, as the number of unemployed declined by 40 thousand to 1.81 million. Meanwhile, employment rose by 500 thousand to another record high of 68.51 million, while the labor force edged up 20 thousand to 70.32 million. The number of people outside the labor force increased by 10 thousand to 39.32 million. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the labor force participation rate stood at 64.1%, inched lower from 64.2% October but up from 63.5% a year earlier. At the same time, the jobs-to-applicants ratio remained unchanged at 1.18, staying at its lowest level since January 2022 and aligning with consensus.