Japan is running out of people on sidelines of job market

Businesses face rise in labor costs that will force changes in how they work

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Job seekers visit a Hello Work employment center in Tokyo. (Photo by Yumiko Urasaki)

HIROFUMI KANAOKA, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- Japan's labor pool is losing precious depth, with the share of potential workers falling by half over two decades.

The number of people 15 or older who were not employed or seeking work but still hoped for a job fell to 2.33 million in 2023, down 2.97 million from 20 years earlier, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' labor force survey shows.

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