Japan Jobs-to-Applicants Ratio (Active Job Openings)
The active job openings-to-applicants ratio is the number of job openings divided by the number of job seekers registered at Public Employment Security Offices (Hello Work). This page shows the seasonally adjusted ratio including and excluding part-time workers.
📖 How to read this indicator
A ratio above 1 means there are more job openings than job seekers, which indicates a tight labour market. The ratio reacts to the business cycle faster than the unemployment rate, so it is a useful early signal of changes in labour demand. It only covers openings and applicants handled by public employment offices, not private job sites.
Data table
| Month | Including part-time | Excluding part-time |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | 1.18 | 1.25 |
| Jul 2026 | 1.18 | 1.24 |
| Jun 2026 | 1.18 | 1.24 |
| May 2026 | 1.17 | 1.23 |
| Apr 2026 | 1.18 | 1.23 |
| Mar 2026 | 1.18 | 1.23 |
| Feb 2026 | 1.19 | 1.23 |
| Jan 2026 | 1.18 | 1.23 |
| Dec 2025 | 1.20 | 1.24 |
| Nov 2025 | 1.19 | 1.24 |
| Oct 2025 | 1.19 | 1.24 |
| Sep 2025 | 1.20 | 1.25 |
| Aug 2025 | 1.21 | 1.25 |
| Jul 2025 | 1.22 | 1.27 |
| Jun 2025 | 1.22 | 1.27 |
| May 2025 | 1.23 | 1.29 |
| Apr 2025 | 1.25 | 1.30 |
| Mar 2025 | 1.25 | 1.30 |
| Feb 2025 | 1.25 | 1.29 |
| Jan 2025 | 1.25 | 1.30 |
| Dec 2024 | 1.25 | 1.30 |
| Nov 2024 | 1.26 | 1.30 |
| Oct 2024 | 1.26 | 1.29 |
| Sep 2024 | 1.25 | 1.28 |
| Aug 2024 | 1.24 | 1.28 |
| Jul 2024 | 1.24 | 1.28 |
| Jun 2024 | 1.24 | 1.27 |
| May 2024 | 1.24 | 1.27 |
| Apr 2024 | 1.25 | 1.27 |
| Mar 2024 | 1.26 | 1.28 |
| Feb 2024 | 1.26 | 1.27 |
| Jan 2024 | 1.26 | 1.28 |
| Dec 2023 | 1.27 | 1.28 |
| Nov 2023 | 1.28 | 1.29 |
| Oct 2023 | 1.30 | 1.30 |
| Sep 2023 | 1.30 | 1.30 |
| Aug 2023 | 1.30 | 1.31 |
| Jul 2023 | 1.30 | 1.31 |
| Jun 2023 | 1.31 | 1.32 |
| May 2023 | 1.31 | 1.32 |
| Apr 2023 | 1.32 | 1.31 |
| Mar 2023 | 1.32 | 1.31 |
| Feb 2023 | 1.33 | 1.32 |
| Jan 2023 | 1.35 | 1.34 |
| Dec 2022 | 1.35 | 1.35 |
| Nov 2022 | 1.35 | 1.34 |
| Oct 2022 | 1.34 | 1.33 |
| Sep 2022 | 1.33 | 1.33 |
| Aug 2022 | 1.31 | 1.31 |
| Jul 2022 | 1.29 | 1.30 |
FAQ
What does a jobs-to-applicants ratio of 1.2 mean?
It means there are 1.2 job openings for every job seeker registered at public employment offices. A ratio above 1 indicates that employers are competing for workers.