Japan’s unemployment rate stood at 2.6% in February 2026, easing from January’s 1½-year high and coming in slightly below market expectations of 2.7%. The number of unemployed declined by 60 thousand to 1.85 million.
Employment increased by 10 thousand to 68.27 million, while the labor force expanded by 40 thousand to 70.12 million. The number of people outside the labor force edged up by 10 thousand to 39.46 million, the highest level in five months.
On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the labor force participation rate remained at 63.5%, unchanged from January but up from 63.2% a year earlier. Meanwhile, the jobs-to-applicants ratio came in at 1.19, slightly above both January’s reading and the consensus forecast of 1.18.
