Tuesday, April 28, 2026
0830 JST (2330 GMT/1930 EDT Monday, April 27) The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications releases March jobs.
Mace News median: 2.6% (range: 2.6% to 2.7%)vs. 2.6% in Feb after posting 2.7% in Jan and 2.6% in the previous five months from August to December
By Chikafumi Hodo
TOKYO (MaceNews) – Japan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is expected to be little changed at 2.6% in March from February. After rising to 2.7% in January, the rate has held steady at 2.6% for five months from August to December, highlighting firm labor market conditions amid persistent labor shortages.
In February, employment rose 110,000 from a year earlier to 67.79 million, marking the first increase in two months. The number of unemployed climbed by 150,000 to 1.80 million, extending gains to a seventh straight month.
By reason for job search, compared with a year earlier, the number of people leaving jobs due to employer or business circumstances increased by 40,000. Voluntary resignations for personal reasons rose by 10,000, while new entrants to the labor force increased by 70,000. The solid employment environment appears to be encouraging job changes and new job searches, pointing to underlying resilience.
Payrolls rebounded in February, with gains in both regular and non-regular positions. This followed an unexpected year-on-year decline for the first in 42 months in January, when many self-employed workers and family employees closed their businesses, and firms continued to shed non-regular jobs while increasing regular employment. The shift toward more regular positions bodes well for overall economic health.