Growth

Unemployment rate & labour force

Japan’s unemployment rate — the share of the labour force that is without work and looking for it.

Frequency: Monthly

This chart is being prepared. Unemployment rate & labour force draws on Statistics Bureau of Japan (Labour Force Survey), via e-Stat, which requires a free access key that is not yet configured. The explainer and source details below are final; the chart will appear once the data feed is connected.

What this shows

The unemployment rate measures the share of the labour force — people who are either working or actively looking for work — who are without a job and seeking one. The figures come from the Statistics Bureau’s monthly Labour Force Survey, a household survey covering Japan as a whole.

Japan’s unemployment rate is structurally low by international standards, so it tends to move within a narrow range; small changes can still be meaningful. The figures here are not seasonally adjusted, so comparing a month with the same month a year earlier removes most of the regular within-year pattern.

How to read it: The line is a percentage of the labour force. A higher value means more people are unemployed and looking for work; a lower value means fewer.

Terms on this page

Unemployment rate: The unemployment rate is the number of people who are without a job and actively seeking one, divided by the labour force (those working plus those looking). In Japan this is the 完全失業率 ("completely unemployed" rate) from the Labour Force Survey, covering people aged 15 and over. People who are not looking for work are outside the labour force and not counted as unemployed.
Labour force: The labour force is the part of the population aged 15 and over that is economically active — either employed or unemployed-but-seeking-work. Students, retirees, and others not looking for work are outside the labour force. The labour-force participation rate is the labour force as a share of that population.
Seasonally adjusted: Many economic series follow predictable seasonal patterns. Seasonal adjustment removes those recurring swings so that the underlying trend and turning points are easier to see and compare period-to-period.