Japan: total workforce 2025| ��ƽ��

Labor force in Japan from 1973 to 2025 (in millions)

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Sources

Release date

January 2026

More information

Region

Japan

Survey time period

1973 to 2025

Age group

15 years and older

Supplementary notes

*Including supplementary-estimated figures. 2011 yearly average results for the whole of Japan were missing due to the damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

The source defines the employed and unemployed population aged 15 years and older as labor force.

Citation formats

In 2025, the total labor force in Japan was composed of approximately ** million people. The labor force increased from about **** million in the previous year.

Women in the labor force

Due to its demographical circumstances, Japan has a relatively low unemployment rate. As a consequence, companies employ different strategies to secure labor. The employment of women is seen as one of the possible solutions to the labor shortages. In recent years, women have increasingly joined the labor force in Japan, which is reflected by a growth of the female employment rate. This growing participation in the labor market is partly underpinned by an expansion of the service sector.

Additional workforce

Next to women, the growing number of foreign workers, as well as higher participation of the elderly are also worth mentioning. A breakdown of the labor force by age groups showed that in 2024, close to *** million people were continuing to participate in the labor market beyond the set retirement age of 65 years.