Friday, May 29, 2026
0830 JST (2330 GMT/1930 EDT Thursday, May 28) The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications releases April jobs.
Mace News median: 2.7% (range: 2.6% to 2.7%)vs. 2.7% in March after posting 2.6% in February.
By Chikafumi Hodo
TOKYO (MaceNews) – Japan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is expected to be little changed in April from the previous month as underlying labor market conditions remain firm amid persistent worker shortages, particularly in the hotel and food services sectors, supporting employment in recent months.
The April unemployment rate is seen unchanged at 2.7% from March. The number of employed persons in March rose for a second straight month, gaining 30,000 from a year earlier to 67.73 million. The number of unemployed persons stood at 1.94 million, up 140,000 from a year earlier and marking an eighth consecutive monthly increase.
By reason for seeking work, compared with a year earlier, the number of people leaving jobs due to employer or business circumstances increased by 30,000, while voluntary resignations rose by 50,000 and the number of people newly seeking jobs increased by 110,000. The strength of the labor market may be contributing to increases in voluntary job changes and new job seekers, suggesting the details were not entirely negative.