Average annual hours worked · Japan

## What this measures

Average annual hours actually worked per person in employment in Japan. Compiled annually by the OECD from national labour force surveys and accounts.

## Background

Total hours actually worked in the year divided by the average number of people in employment (employees and self-employed), from national labour force surveys and accounts, compiled by the OECD (dataflow DSD_HW@DF_AVG_ANN_HRS_WKD). Levels differ in method across countries, so compare each country's trend rather than levels between countries. Annual; synced monthly by /api/cron/worldbank-sync with a DBnomics mirror as fallback.

## Why it matters

Work hours shape labor costs, productivity calculations, and workforce planning. Changes signal shifts in part-time employment, overtime patterns, and work culture. Organizations benchmarking Japanese operations or supply chains use this to gauge workforce intensity and scheduling norms.

## How to read it

Rising hours indicate longer average work weeks across the employed population; falling hours suggest shorter schedules, more part-time work, or reduced overtime. Compare Japan's trend over time rather than levels with other countries, because measurement methods vary by country.

## What it does not say

It does not distinguish between full-time and part-time workers, voluntary and involuntary overtime, or differences across industries and occupations. It does not measure productivity or labor market tightness.

## Source

OECD compiles this from national labour force surveys and accounts. Palanor pulls OECD data through the OECD SDMX API under CC BY 4.0 license.