The number of “dispatched workers from temporary labour agencies” in Japan rose by 0.7% year over year in December to a total of more than 1.5 million, according to data from the Statistics Bureau of Japan.

Looking at all “nonregular” employees in Japan — which includes temporary, dispatch workers, contractors and part-time workers — the number rose by 1.7% in December to 21.4 million.

Overall, the number of employed persons in Japan of all types rose by 0.1% year over year to 67.2 million. The unemployment rate in Japan for those aged 15 to 64 years old was 2.5% in December 2022.