Japan Jobless Rate Steady at 2.5% for Third Straight Month

2026-07-30 23:43 By Farida Husna 1 min. read

Japan's unemployment rate held steady at 2.5% in June 2026, unchanged for a third consecutive month and in line with market expectations, remaining at its lowest level since July 2025.

The number of unemployed rose by 10 thousand to 1.75 million, while employment fell by 360 thousand to a three-month low of 68.46 million.

The labor force also shrank by 350 thousand to 70.22 million, suggesting the stable jobless rate was largely driven by a smaller workforce rather than stronger hiring.

Meanwhile, the number of people outside the labor force increased by 430 thousand to a three-month high of 39.39 million.

On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the labor force participation rate eased to 64.4% from 64.6% in May, though it remained above 64.2% recorded a year earlier.

Separately, the jobs-to-applicants ratio unexpectedly edged up to 1.18 from 1.17, slightly exceeding market forecasts and indicating labor demand remained resilient despite softer employment figures.



News Stream
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