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January 30, 2026JAPAN LABOUR FORCE SURVEY, DECEMBER AND ANNUAL 2025 
Japan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 2.6% for the fifth consecutive month in December 2025. Compared with the November 2025, Japan's labour force contracted by 0.01% and employment fell by 0.07%.
Japan's unemployment rate has been stable since 2022, as movements in labour force and employment have been very similar. In recent months, there was a slight gain in both labour force and employment. In contrast, labour force and employment are more volatile in Canada and Nova Scotia. In Nova Scotia, there has been modest growth in both labour force and employment in 2025 while in Canada, labour force growth outpaced employment gains.
Annual (2025)
Japan's unemployment rate averaged 2.5% in 2025 - the same rate as 2024. In Canada, the unemployment rate rose to an annual average of 6.8% in 2025 while Nova Scotia's unemployment rate averaged 6.6%.
Both labour force and employment grew by 0.7% in 2025 for Japan.
In Nova Scotia, labour force and employment grew at similar rates in 2025 which were slower than in Japan.
Canada's annual labour force growth outpaced employment gains in 2025, resulting in a higher unemployment rate for the year.
Sources: Statistics Bureau of Japan. Table: 1-a-1 (Seasonally adjusted) Major items (Labour force, Employed person, Employee, Unemployed person, Not in labour force, Unemployment rate (since Jan.1953); Table: 2-1 Population aged 15 years old and over by labour force status (Labour force, Employed person, Unemployed person, Not in labour force, Labour force participation rate, Employment rate, Unemployment rate, etc.); Statistics Canada. Table 14-10-0287-01 Labour force characteristics, monthly, seasonally adjusted and trend-cycle
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