Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Japan
Japan: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 90.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Japan, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Japan stood at 90.9%. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Japan peaked at 90.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 78.5%, in 1991.
That places Japan 17th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 78.5% | — |
| 1992 | 79.4% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 80.6% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 81.0% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 81.4% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 82.0% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 82.1% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 83.0% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 83.3% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 83.9% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 84.6% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 85.0% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 85.2% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 85.3% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 85.7% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 86.4% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 86.9% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 87.2% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 87.5% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 87.9% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 88.3% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 88.4% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 88.7% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 88.8% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 89.1% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 89.5% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 89.7% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 89.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 90.1% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 90.1% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 89.6% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 90.5% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 90.5% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 90.8% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 90.9% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 81.3% | 78.5% | 83.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 85.8% | 83.9% | 87.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 89.0% | 87.9% | 90.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 90.4% | 89.6% | 90.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More work & labour data for Japan
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.4984 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.5262 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.4728 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.25 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.4618 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 103,039 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,756 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 39,867 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 36,979 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 76,846 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Japan?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Japan was 90.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 90.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.5% in 1991.
- How does Japan rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Japan ranks 17th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.