---
title: Japan's job-to-applicant ratio only works by occupation
description: "Japan's headline ratio: 1.18 openings per applicant. By occupation: construction 8.25, security 6.99, care 3.89, sales 2.05, IT 1.33, office 0.29."
image: https://nobusato.jp/hubfs/covers-2026-11/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-occupation-cover-en-2026-10-m.png
---

[Nobu Sato](https://nobusato.jp/en?hsLang=en)

[Profile](https://nobusato.jp/en/profile?hsLang=en) [Method](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/method?hsLang=en) [Articles](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog?hsLang=en) [Glossary](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/glossary?hsLang=en) [Contact](https://nobusato.jp/en/contact?hsLang=en)

[日本語](https://nobusato.jp/ja/blog/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-occupation)[English](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-occupation)[中文](https://nobusato.jp/zh/blog/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-occupation)

Japan by the Numbers

In this article

1. [Split by occupation, there are two Japans](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-occupation#s1)
2. [How to read it](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-occupation#s2)
3. [IT at 1.33 is misleading](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-occupation#s3)
4. [Using it for a hiring budget](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-occupation#s4)

1. [Home](https://nobusato.jp/en?hsLang=en)
2. [Articles](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog?hsLang=en)
3. [Japan by the Numbers](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/tag/japan-by-the-numbers)

# Japan's job-to-applicant ratio only makes sense by occupation

The headline 1.18 averages 8 openings per seeker with 3 seekers per opening

[Nobu Sato](https://nobusato.jp/en/profile?hsLang=en)6 min read

Contents4

1. [Split by occupation, there are two Japans](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-occupation#s1)
2. [How to read it](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-occupation#s2)
3. [IT at 1.33 is misleading](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-occupation#s3)
4. [Using it for a hiring budget](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-occupation#s4)

Every month Japan publishes one labor number that makes the news, the job-to-applicant ratio. In August 2026 it was 1.18, meaning 1.18 openings for every job seeker. That sounds like a mild market.

I never look at the headline figure. It averages two completely different countries into one number.

## Split by occupation, there are two Japans

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare publishes the same ratio by occupation every month. August 2026: structural construction 8.25, security 6.99, construction and civil engineers 5.71, care workers 3.89, drivers 2.54, sales 2.05, retail 1.72, IT and telecom engineers 1.33, managers 0.81, clerical 0.37, general office 0.29.

On one side, eight openings per applicant. On the other, three applicants per opening. Same month, same country.

The headline 1.18 is an average of jobs with eight openings per seeker and jobs with three seekers per opening

Job-to-applicant ratio by occupation (labor ministry, August 2026, incl. part-time, unadjusted)

**Above 1**　companies looking for people

- Structural construction

  8.25
- Security

  6.99
- Construction and survey engineers

  5.71
- Care workers

  3.89
- Drivers

  2.54
- Sales

  2.05
- Retail

  1.72
- IT engineers

  1.33

**Below 1**　people looking for jobs

- Managers

  0.81
- Clerical

  0.37
- General office

  0.29

Same month, same country: 8.25 for structural construction, 0.29 for general office. You can’t plan hiring on the headline number.

Figure 1. Japan’s job-to-applicant ratio was 1.18 overall in August 2026, but 8.25 for structural construction, 6.99 for security and 3.89 for care work against 0.37 for clerical and 0.29 for general office roles: even in Hello Work data, one country holds two labor markets.

## How to read it

Above 1, companies are hunting for people. The higher the ratio, the more the job is one you can't fill at any wage. Construction, care, driving, security. Raising pay helps a little. The bigger problem is that the workforce is disappearing. Incumbents are aging out, young people aren't entering, and foreign workers are filling the gap ([next post](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/foreign-workers-in-japan-by-the-numbers?hsLang=en)).

Below 1, people are hunting for jobs. General office at 0.29 means three or four applicants per opening. Japan has many well-educated people who want office work, and those jobs are shrinking. When a foreign entity posts a sales-support or admin role and resumes pour in, don't take it as proof of the company's appeal. The pool was already full.

The middle band is where people get it wrong. Sales at 2.05 looks tight, but "sales" in this statistic covers everyone from shop floor to enterprise accounts. For the salesperson who knows your industry and can work corporate clients, the real ratio is far higher.

## IT at 1.33 is misleading

Software and internet companies see IT engineers at 1.33 and relax. Don't.

The statistic counts only openings and applicants that go through Hello Work, the public employment service. IT jobs posted there are mostly maintenance and staffing roles at small companies. Engineers rarely job-hunt that way. Private job platforms report IT engineer ratios of 8 to 12 for years running.

So on this chart, trust the blue-collar numbers and discount the professional ones. The more senior the role, the less Hello Work sees of it. I've hired in Japan for many years, across every kind of role, and I have been short of good resumes in all of them. Even at a 0.3 ratio, applications are plentiful and usable ones are still scarce.

## Using it for a hiring budget

When I show clients this chart, I walk through it in a fixed order.

First, map the role you need onto the occupation categories and see which band it falls in. Under 1, run a normal process and spend on screening. Between 1 and 3, spend on channels and speed. Above 3, don't count on job ads at all. Poach, train, or hire foreign workers.

Above a ratio of 3, job ads won’t fill the role

Which band your role sits in, and where the hiring budget goes (my method; occupations use the August 2026 ratios)

Roles in the bandRatio bandWhere the budget goes

General office 0.29, clerical 0.37, managers 0.81

→

Under 1

→

Normal process. Spend on screening

Sales 2.05, retail 1.72. Higher for B2B sales

→

1 to 3

→

Spend on channels and speed

Construction 8.25, security 6.99, care 3.89. IT is 8 to 12 on private platforms

→

Above 3

→

Don’t count on job ads. Poach, train, or hire foreign workers

Care went from 2.6 in 2015 to 4.2 in 2019. I have almost never seen an occupation come back below 3.

Figure 2. If your role’s ratio is under 1, spend on screening; between 1 and 3, on channels and speed; above 3, skip job ads and poach, train or hire foreign workers, and note that IT engineers, 1.33 at Hello Work, run at 8 to 12 on private platforms and belong in the top band.

Second, look at the trend for that occupation. Care went from 2.6 in 2015 to 4.2 in 2019 and has stayed around 4 since. I can't think of an occupation that crossed 3 and came back down.

Third, add geography. Tokyo and regional ratios routinely differ by a factor of two. Drivers and site managers you can't find in Tokyo may be available in Osaka or Fukuoka, which belongs in the math when you consider a regional office.

One caution. The ratio is a stock, not a flow. It compares accumulated openings with accumulated job seekers, and that isn't quite the same as how hard it is to hire. In a 0.3 occupation, the best people still get fought over.

So where does the role you're trying to fill sit on this chart?

Once you know how hard a role is to fill, the next number is cost. I worked through it in [What one hire in Japan really costs: 1.2x to 1.5x salary](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/true-cost-of-hiring-in-japan?hsLang=en).

Sources

- [厚生労働省「一般職業紹介状況（令和8年8月分）」職業別有効求人倍率（常用・パート含む・原数値）](https://www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/list/114-1.html)
- [厚生労働省「介護分野の現状等について」有効求人倍率（介護関係職種）の推移](https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/12300000/000644080.pdf)

By region, Tokyo has two job openings ratios, one by place of registration and one by place of work. See [Tokyo vs the regions](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-prefecture?hsLang=en).

Part of the reason customer service ratios run so high is the tourism boom; I lined up the hotel side of it in [a piece on record tourists and short-staffed hotels](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/inbound-tourism-hotel-labor-shortage?hsLang=en).

The 790,000 IT worker shortfall often quoted next to these openings ratios is the worst of six scenarios; I took it apart in [a separate post on where that number comes from](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-it-talent-shortage-790000?hsLang=en).

Driver hiring is often tied to Japan's 2024 logistics problem; I looked at what the famous 14% shortage figure actually assumed in [this piece on the 2024 capacity gap](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-logistics-2024-capacity-gap?hsLang=en).

I read these ratios again from a young job seeker's side in [Japan's Gen Z and the Trades: What Actually Gets Paid](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/gen-z-japan-skilled-trades?hsLang=en).

Author

[Nobu Sato](https://nobusato.jp/en/profile?hsLang=en)

Launching in Japan, starting with people and systems. I write about building organizations, sales teams and technology organizations in Japan, in English, Japanese and Chinese.

[Profile](https://nobusato.jp/en/profile?hsLang=en)[Contact](https://nobusato.jp/en/contact?hsLang=en)

## Read next

1. 01[Tokyo vs the Regions: Japan's Job Openings Ratio](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-prefecture?hsLang=en)5 min
   
   By place of registration, Tokyo's job openings ratio is Japan's highest at 1.70; by place of work, 1.07. Use the ...
2. 02[How Good Is English in Japan, Really?](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-english-proficiency?hsLang=en)6 min
   
   Japan ranks 96th on the EF English index, yet a quarter of TOEIC takers score 745+. Neither measures the workplace. ...

[Column guide: Japan by the Numbers](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/guide-japan-by-the-numbers?hsLang=en) · [Glossary](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/glossary?hsLang=en) · [The method behind the articles](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/method?hsLang=en)

[← All articles](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog?hsLang=en)

## Writing about launching in Japan, in three languages.

[Profile](https://nobusato.jp/en/profile?hsLang=en) [Get in touch](https://nobusato.jp/en/contact?hsLang=en)

Nobu Sato

Writing about launching in Japan, in three languages.

[info@nobusato.jp](mailto:info@nobusato.jp) [Substack](https://nobusato.substack.com)[Newsletter](https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-japan-entry-memo-7519750783555518464/)[Medium](https://medium.com/@nobusato5888)[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/realnobusato/)[X](https://x.com/nobusato5888) [RSS](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/rss.xml?hsLang=en)

[Profile](https://nobusato.jp/en/profile?hsLang=en)[Method](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/method?hsLang=en)[Articles](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog?hsLang=en)[Glossary](https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/glossary?hsLang=en)[Contact](https://nobusato.jp/en/contact?hsLang=en)

Views here are my own and don’t represent any organization I work or have worked for.

© 2026 Nobu Sato. All rights reserved.·[Privacy and disclaimer](https://nobusato.jp/en/privacy?hsLang=en)

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement" : [ {
    "@type" : "ListItem",
    "item" : "https://nobusato.jp/en",
    "name" : "Home",
    "position" : 1
  }, {
    "@type" : "ListItem",
    "item" : "https://nobusato.jp/en/blog",
    "name" : "Articles",
    "position" : 2
  }, {
    "@type" : "ListItem",
    "item" : "https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/tag/japan-by-the-numbers",
    "name" : "Japan by the Numbers",
    "position" : 3
  }, {
    "@type" : "ListItem",
    "item" : "https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-occupation",
    "name" : "Japan's job-to-applicant ratio only makes sense by occupation",
    "position" : 4
  } ]
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@id" : "https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-occupation",
  "@type" : "WebPage",
  "about" : {
    "@type" : "Thing",
    "name" : "Japan by the Numbers"
  },
  "author" : {
    "@id" : "https://nobusato.jp/#person"
  },
  "description" : "Japan's headline ratio: 1.18 openings per applicant. By occupation: construction 8.25, security 6.99, care 3.89, sales 2.05, IT 1.33, office 0.29.",
  "inLanguage" : "en",
  "isPartOf" : {
    "@id" : "https://nobusato.jp/en/blog",
    "@type" : "Blog",
    "name" : "Articles"
  },
  "keywords" : "Japan by the Numbers",
  "name" : "Japan's job-to-applicant ratio only makes sense by occupation",
  "url" : "https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-occupation"
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@id" : "https://nobusato.jp/#person",
  "@type" : "Person",
  "alternateName" : [ "佐藤伸明", "Nobu Sato", "左滕" ],
  "description" : "Japan market launches: organization, sales and technology",
  "knowsAbout" : [ "Japan market entry", "Organization design", "Talent acquisition", "Sales organization building", "Technology organization building", "Japanese labor law" ],
  "name" : "Nobu Sato",
  "sameAs" : [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/realnobusato/", "https://x.com/nobusato5888" ],
  "url" : "https://nobusato.jp/en/profile"
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Nobu Sato",
    "url" : "https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/author/nobu-sato"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2026-10-24T14:13:19.269Z",
  "datePublished" : "2026-10-23T15:09:29.000Z",
  "headline" : "Japan's job-to-applicant ratio only works by occupation",
  "image" : [ "https://nobusato.jp/hubfs/covers-2026-11/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-occupation-cover-en-2026-10-m.png" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://nobusato.jp/en/blog/japan-job-openings-ratio-by-occupation",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://nobusato.jp/hubfs/seo/logo-nobusato-2026-10.png"
    },
    "name" : "nobusato.jp"
  }
}
```