The job-to-applicant ratio is the number of open jobs per person looking for work at Hello Work, Japan's public employment service. Above 1, there are more openings than applicants and hiring is harder. Updated every month.
National trend (seasonally adjusted)
By occupation: where hiring is hardest
| Occupation | Openings per applicant |
|---|---|
| Construction framework workers | 8.25 |
| Civil engineering labourers | 6.71 |
| Architects, civil engineers and surveyors | 5.71 |
| Construction workers (excl. framework) | 4.37 |
| Care service workers | 3.89 |
| Machine maintenance and repair workers | 3.87 |
| Mining workers | 3.78 |
| Outside clerical workers (collectors, meter readers etc.) | 3.51 |
| Domestic support service workers | 3.23 |
| Electrical construction workers | 3.23 |
| Medical technicians | 3.21 |
| Personal hygiene service workers (hairdressers, beauticians etc.) | 3.13 |
| Healthcare service workers (aides) | 2.73 |
| Transport and postal clerks | 2.68 |
| Motor vehicle drivers | 2.54 |
Easiest to hire: Artists, designers, photographers and camera operators (0.15), Office machine operators (0.27), Other carrying, cleaning and packaging workers (0.29).
By prefecture
| Prefecture | Openings per applicant |
|---|---|
| Fukui | 1.72 |
| Yamanashi | 1.71 |
| Toyama | 1.68 |
| Shimane | 1.60 |
| Kagawa | 1.53 |
| Yamagata | 1.47 |
| Gifu | 1.44 |
| Gunma | 1.43 |
| Nagano | 1.43 |
| Ehime | 1.43 |
| Yamaguchi | 1.42 |
| Ishikawa | 1.41 |
| Niigata | 1.40 |
| Mie | 1.40 |
| Fukushima | 1.37 |
| Tottori | 1.37 |
| Saga | 1.37 |
| Ibaraki | 1.34 |
| Shiga | 1.34 |
| Kumamoto | 1.31 |
| Tokushima | 1.30 |
| Iwate | 1.29 |
| Okayama | 1.29 |
| Hiroshima | 1.29 |
| Oita | 1.28 |
| Akita | 1.27 |
| Chiba | 1.27 |
| Miyazaki | 1.25 |
| Nara | 1.23 |
| Tochigi | 1.21 |
| Aomori | 1.20 |
| Shizuoka | 1.20 |
| Kyoto | 1.19 |
| Kochi | 1.19 |
| Aichi | 1.18 |
| Nagasaki | 1.17 |
| Miyagi | 1.14 |
| Saitama | 1.13 |
| Kagoshima | 1.09 |
| Tokyo | 1.07 |
| Okinawa | 1.06 |
| Hyogo | 1.05 |
| Wakayama | 1.05 |
| Kanagawa | 1.02 |
| Hokkaido | 0.98 |
| Fukuoka | 0.97 |
| Osaka | 0.95 |
Employment Referrals for General Workers (MHLW), published 2026-10-02. National and prefecture figures are seasonally adjusted and include part-time work; prefectures are by place of work. Occupation figures are unadjusted, regular jobs including part-time, August 2026. New graduates excluded. Next release: 2026-10-30. Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), via e-Stat. Compiled and translated by The Hardest Market.
Related: Pay in Japan by occupation · Japan HR statistics