Each year MHLW counts how many people joined and left employers, as a share of their regular staff on 1 January. In 2025, 14.7% joined and 13.7% left, a net gain of 1.0 percentage point. Full-time workers turned over at 11.4%, part-time workers at 19.9%.
By industry (highest turnover first)
| Industry | Hiring rate | Separation rate |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodations, eating and drinking services | 27.8% | 23.7% |
| Services, n.e.c. | 21.8% | 21.2% |
| Living-related and personal services and amusement services | 21.3% | 20.1% |
| Education, learning support | 15.5% | 15.1% |
| Medical, health care and welfare | 14.5% | 14.3% |
| Real estate and goods rental and leasing | 14.4% | 12.1% |
| Wholesale and retail trade | 12.6% | 11.9% |
| Scientific research, professional and technical services | 12.9% | 11.7% |
| Information and communications | 13.6% | 10.4% |
| Mining and quarrying of stone and gravel | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| Manufacturing | 9.6% | 9.8% |
| Transport and postal activities | 9.6% | 9.0% |
| Electricity, gas, heat supply and water | 9.3% | 8.8% |
| Construction | 10.4% | 8.7% |
| Compound services | 6.3% | 8.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 8.7% | 6.6% |
By company size and gender
| Company size | Hiring | Separation | Separation, men | Separation, women |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All enterprise sizes (incl. public sector) | 14.7% | 13.7% | 12.5% | 15.1% |
| 1,000+ employees | 14.0% | 12.5% | 11.5% | 13.6% |
| 300-999 employees | 15.1% | 15.3% | 13.4% | 17.3% |
| 100-299 employees | 17.4% | 17.9% | 16.0% | 20.1% |
| 30-99 employees | 15.7% | 14.0% | 12.1% | 16.4% |
| 5-29 employees | 13.0% | 12.2% | 11.7% | 12.6% |
Separation rate by age and gender
| Age | All | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 and under | 33.3% | 32.0% | 34.5% |
| 20-24 | 25.1% | 24.6% | 25.5% |
| 25-29 | 17.7% | 16.4% | 19.1% |
| 30-34 | 14.6% | 13.2% | 16.2% |
| 35-39 | 10.4% | 8.4% | 12.7% |
| 40-44 | 9.9% | 7.6% | 12.5% |
| 45-49 | 8.2% | 6.1% | 10.5% |
| 50-54 | 8.0% | 6.3% | 9.9% |
| 55-59 | 9.1% | 8.1% | 10.1% |
| 60-64 | 17.1% | 19.1% | 14.8% |
| 65 and over | 18.5% | 19.8% | 17.2% |
Ten years
| Year | Hiring rate | Separation rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| 2016 | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| 2017 | 16.0% | 14.9% |
| 2018 | 15.4% | 14.6% |
| 2019 | 16.7% | 15.6% |
| 2020 | 13.9% | 14.2% |
| 2021 | 14.0% | 13.9% |
| 2022 | 15.2% | 15.0% |
| 2023 | 16.4% | 15.4% |
| 2024 | 14.8% | 14.2% |
| 2025 | 14.7% | 13.7% |
Questions
What is the employee turnover rate in Japan?
13.7% of regular employees left their employer in 2025, and 14.7% joined one (MHLW Survey on Employment Trends). Full-time workers turned over at 11.4% and part-time workers at 19.9%; accommodations, eating and drinking services was highest at 23.7%.
Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Survey on Employment Trends 2025; compiled and translated by The Hardest Market. Reference period: calendar year 2025 (1 January - 31 December); denominators = regular employees on 1 January 2025. Published 2026-08-31. Next release: 2027-08.
Original tables: MHLW
Related: Pay by occupation · Where hiring is hardest · Foreign workers · Paid leave, hours and retirement · Minimum wage · Pay rises · HR calendar (next releases)