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March 31, 2026JAPAN LABOUR FORCE SURVEY, FEBRUARY 2026 
Japan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged down to 2.6% in February 2026. Compared with the January, Japan's employment growth (+0.15%) outpaced labour force growth (+0.06%).
Japan's unemployment rate has been stable since 2022, as movements in labour force and employment have been very similar. During the final months of 2025, there were slight gains in both labour force and employment, followed by declines in January. In contrast, labour force and employment are more volatile in Canada and Nova Scotia. In Nova Scotia, there was modest growth in both labour force and employment in 2025 while in Canada, labour force growth outpaced employment gains.
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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