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Notes on the results of Labour Force Survey

 Notes on the statistical tables

Overall tables

• Figures may not add up to totals because figures are rounded to ten thousand or "unclassifiable/not reported" is included in totals.
• "0" indicates that the figure is less than half of the given unit. "-" indicates that the figure does not exist. "..." indicates that the figure is not surveyed, tabulated or calculated.
• In the Detailed Tabulation, the inmates of reformatory institutions and the personnel resided in Self-Defence Forces areas are excluded from the tabulation. And the Detailed Tabulation sample universe covers only the second month of the second year sample in the Basic Tabulation. Figures in the Detailed Tabulation don't necessarily correspond with those in the Basic Tabulation because of the difference in the coverage. Items related to "labour underutilization" were presented in the category "labour force status" in Detailed Tabulation in January 2018. Hence, the definition of "Not in Labour force" and some other items in Detailed Tabulation are different from the ones used in Basic Tabulation or used in Detailed Tabulation until 2017.

Historical data

• Concerning the figures from January to March 1953, attention needs to be paid to time series comparison because these figures are under the effects of the sampling frame revision which took place from the end of 1952 to the beginning of 1953 .
• Attention needs to be paid when comparing the change over the year because the number of weekdays in the survey week (*) is not always the same.
  * The last seven days of every month. As for December 20th to 26th.
• The benchmark population for calculating the results of the Labour Force Survey is revised every five years since 1982. The data from October 2005 through December 2021 and the data until 1977 have been adjusted to comparable time-series data. In addition, some of database on e-Stat have been adjusted to comparable time-series data. Therefore, these data are different from the annual report published in each year and from the data of the old criteria, which is no longer used for comparable time-series data. For further information, refer to "2022 revision of benchmark population".
  In comparable time-series data, there are periods where the figures have not been adjusted, and the results for those periods include difference due to the revision. For further information of difference, refer to "Reference Tab. 1 Difference in level of the benchmark revisions" of "Sampling Method, Estimation Method, and Sampling Errors of Estimates? (PDF:522KB).
• Due to the Great East Japan Earthquake, results for whole Japan and Tohoku are missing from March through August 2011. So "Supplementary-estimated figures" have been used. "< >" indicates that supplementary estimated figures.
• On the release of January results, the seasonal adjustments are computed retroactively by adding new data for twelve months of the previous year. For further information, refer to "5. Seasonal adjustment methods" of "Sampling Method, Estimation Method, and Sampling Errors of Estimates"(PDF:522KB) and "Seasonal Adjustment - X-12-ARIMA -".
• Concerning the number of unemployed persons by reason for seeking a job, the figures prior to 1984 are not available. Because the selection of reasons for seeking a job was changed and subdivided from January 2002, attention needs to be paid when time series comparison.

Industrial Classification and Occupational Classification

• Along with the revision of the Japan Standard Industrial Classification (JSIC) and the Japan Standard Occupational Classification, the industrial classification and occupational classification of employed persons used in the tabulation of the Labour Force Survey are revised. Retrospective data are prepared to the extent possible for each revision. However, it should be noted that long-term, accurate retrospective connections cannot be made due to the impact of the changes in the classification contents.
  
     

  Period of revision of the Japan Standard Industrial Classification and the corresponding time series data range

  Period of revision of the Japan Standard Industrial Classification	The corresponding time series data range for the Labour Force Survey
  13th revision (2013)	2002 -
  12th revision (2007)	2002 -
  11th revision (2002)	1998 - 2009
  10th revision (1993)	1953 - 2002

  * In the Labour Force Survey, the results classified by JSIC revision 12th and JSIC revision 13th are directly comparable.
         cf. 12th revision : Revision of industrial classification for the Labour Force Survey results (PDF:59KB)

  
  
  
   

  Period of revision of the Japan Standard Occupational Classification and the corresponding time series data range

  Period of revision of the Japan Standard Occupational Classification	The corresponding time series data range for the Labour Force Survey
  5th revision (2009)	2009 -
  4th revision (1997)	1953 - 2010

  
   
• Concerning the number of employed persons by industry / "number of persons engaged in enterprise", attention needs to be paid when comparing the change over the year because of the postal service privatization on 1 October 2007.
  < Industry >
  from "Compound services" to "Transport and postal activities", "Finance and insurance" or "Services, N.E.C."
  < Number of persons engaged in enterprise >
  from "Government employee" to "500 persons or more"
• Dispatched workers from temporary labour agency are requested to report the industry of the establishments which they actually work in (dispatched). This means that they are classified into each industry. Until December 2012, they reported the dispatching industry, which was classified into "Services, N.E.C.".

Regional results

• The regional classification used in the current Labour Force Survey consists of the prefectures in the following table.

  Region	Prefecture
  Hokkaido	Hokkaido
  Tohoku	Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima
  Southern-Kanto	Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa
  Northern-Kanto,Koshin	Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Yamanashi, Nagano
  Hokuriku	Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui
  Tokai	Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie
  Kinki	Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama
  Chugoku	Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi
  Shikoku	Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kochi
  Kyushu	Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima
  Okinawa	Okinawa

  
   
• Concerning the regional results, the figures prior to 1983 are not available.
• Rates for regional results are calculated with numerators and denominators which are rounded off to the nearest thousand.
• The precision of "the monthly results for Southern-Kanto and Kinki" released as reference tables are insufficient compared to the results of whole Japan.

Notes on the database

• "0", "0.0" or "***" indicates the following mean.

  Time	Yearly	Prior to 2000	2000 and 2001	Since 2002
  	Fiscal yearly	Prior to 1999	1999 and 2000	Since 2001
  	Monthly	Prior to Jan. 2000	From Jan. 2000 to Jan. 2002	Since Feb. 2002
  	Quarterly	Prior to Jan.-Mar. 2000	From Jan.-Mar. 2000 to Oct.-Dec. 2001	Since Jan.-Mar. 2002
  	Half yearly	Prior to Jan.-Jun. 2000	From Jan.-Jun. 2000 to Jul.-Dec. 2001	Since Jan.-Jun. 2002
  The figure is less than half of the given unit		"0" "0.0"	"0" "0.0"	"0" "0.0"
  The figure does not exist		***	"0" "0.0"	***
  The figure is unregistered on this database		***	***	***
  The figure is not tabulated		***	***	***

  
   
• Okinawa-ken is not included in the figures prior to 1973 on this database.
• Along with the revision of industrial or occupational classification, contents of the new item may be differ from the old one even if the new item name is the same as the old one. The item name of the old classification indicates as "*Manufacturing".
• Due to the Great East Japan Earthquake, results for whole Japan and Tohoku are missing from March through August 2011. Therefore, the figures for whole Japan and Tohoku, including the period from March through August 2011, are shown as "***".

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