Labor ministry says June employment rose 1.2 percent on healthcare hiring

The labor ministry said Thursday that total employment at business establishments with one or more workers reached 20.714 million in late June, up 248,000 from a year earlier. The 1.2 percent increase was driven primarily by the healthcare and social welfare services sector, which added 124,000 workers.

Manufacturing employment also contributed to the growth, rising by 12,000 workers. The sector's expansion accelerated from increases of 3,000 in April and 7,000 in May.

New hires jumped 19.2 percent to 1.003 million compared with June 2025, led by the construction and accommodation sectors with 58,000 and 21,000 new positions respectively. Within the manufacturing sector, gains were concentrated in other transport equipment, electronic components, and industrial machinery repair, while rubber products and primary metals saw declines.

Separations increased 14.7 percent to 1.004 million. Involuntary separations made up the bulk of this outflow, climbing 14.8 percent to 631,000, with the construction industry seeing the largest numeric increase of 44,000. Temporary and daily workers accounted for most of the rise in involuntary departures, increasing by 82,000 year-on-year, whereas permanent staff in this category fell slightly by 1,000.