Friday, Jan. 30, 2026
0830 JST (2330 GMT/1830 EST Thursday, Jan. 29) The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications releases December jobs.
Mace News median:2.6% (range: 2.5% to 2.6%)vs. 2.6% in the previous four months, over 5-year low of 2.3% in July, 2.5% from March to June
By Chikafumi Hodo
TOKYO (MaceNews) – Japan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is seen staying unchanged at 2.6% in December for a fifth straight month, while persistent, broad-based labor shortages are expected to continue lifting domestic payrolls, marking a 41st consecutive year-on-year increase.
This outlook is underscored by the latest Bank of Japan Tankan sentiment survey, which shows labor shortages have intensified across sectors, particularly among smaller firms. In November, employment rose 480,000 from a year earlier to 68.62 million, led by gains in industries such as medical and welfare services, information and telecommunications, and construction.
Meanwhile, the number of unemployed rose 70,000 on the year to 1.71 million in November, as 60,000 people entered the labor market, began looking for work and were counted as jobless.