[Survey Report] Japan's Effective Job-to-Applicant Ratio at 1.18x and Unemployment Rate at 2.7% for January 2026

The Tsunagu Working Styles Research Institute (located in Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Director: Hiroshi Ohno), a research institution for diverse working styles under Tsunagu Group Holdings, Inc. (headquartered in Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Mitsuhiro Yoneda) — a company providing RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) and recruitment consulting services — publishes a monthly "Labor Market Data Report" that curates and clearly summarizes labor market-related data released by government agencies. This report covers the January 2026 data, compiled based on the latest figures announced in early March 2026.

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[Key Topics] 1. The effective job-to-applicant ratio for January was 1.18x, down 0.02 points from the previous month. 2. The unemployment rate was 2.7%, rising from the previous month for the first time in 5 months. 3. New job openings declined 4.6% year-over-year, marking 9 consecutive months of year-over-year decline.

1: The effective job-to-applicant ratio for January was 1.18x, down 0.02 points from the previous month. The seasonally adjusted effective job-to-applicant ratio for January 2026 was 1.18x, declining 0.02 points from the previous month and 0.07 points year-over-year. The part-time-only job-to-applicant ratio (seasonally adjusted) was 1.11x, down 0.07 points year-over-year. The full-time effective job-to-applicant ratio (seasonally adjusted) was 0.99x, down 0.04 points year-over-year, remaining below 1.0x for the fourth consecutive month.

2: The unemployment rate was 2.7%, rising from the previous month for the first time in 5 months. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January 2026 was 2.7%, up 0.1 percentage points from the previous month and 0.2 percentage points year-over-year. By age group, only the 25–34 age bracket saw a year-over-year decrease (-0.1 points). The total number of unemployed persons was 1.79 million, an increase of 160,000 year-over-year.

3: New job openings declined 4.6% year-over-year, marking 9 consecutive months of year-over-year decline. New job openings for January 2026...