TOKYO, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Japan's average unemployment rate in 2025 stayed unchanged from the previous year at 2.5 percent, as tight labor market conditions persisted amid a worker shortage, government data showed Friday.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the total number of people with jobs in 2025 rose by 470,000 to 68.28 million, hitting a record high for the second straight year.
Despite the increase in the number of employed people, the jobless rate remained unchanged as the labor force expanded for the third consecutive year, growing 470,000 to 70.04 million, as more women and elderly people joined the workforce.
Of those not in work, the number of people dismissed by their employers stood at 220,000, while those who voluntarily left their jobs totaled 760,000. The number of people newly seeking jobs came to 480,000, unchanged from 2024.
In December 2025 alone, the unemployment rate was unchanged from the previous month at 2.6 percent, according to the ministry.
Meanwhile, separate data showed that the average job availability ratio in 2025 fell 0.03 point from a year earlier to 1.22, meaning there were 122 jobs available for every 100 job seekers, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said.
By industry, new job openings rose 4.0 percent from a year earlier in the education sector and 1.6 percent in manufacturing. While new job openings fell 10.5 percent in information and communications, and 7.0 percent in the hotel and restaurant sector. ■