Are Japanese wholesale companies short of staff?
SHORT ANSWER
- Yes. In Jul–Sep 2026 the "number of employees" BSI — the share of companies answering "insufficient" minus the share answering "excessive" — was +24.7 for large, +32.0 for medium-sized and +17.4 for small and medium enterprises (capital of ¥10 million to under ¥100 million) — "insufficient" outweighs "excessive" in every size class.
- The shortage is strongest among medium-sized enterprises (capital of ¥100 million to under ¥1 billion); in the Bank of Japan's Tankan employment conditions DI they stand at −38 percentage points (September 2026 survey).
- The shortage has eased somewhat: the BSI is lower than two years earlier (Jul–Sep 2024: large +31.1, medium-sized +41.6, small and medium +20.8).
The numbers
| Survey | Large enterprises | Medium-sized enterprises | Small and medium enterprises |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul–Sep 2024 | +31.1 | +41.6 | +20.8 |
| Jul–Sep 2026 | +24.7 | +32.0 | +17.4 |
Number of employees BSI, wholesale trade, percentage points. Positive = shortage.
How to read it
The BSI is the share of companies answering "insufficient" minus the share answering "excessive" — not a number of people. Large enterprises have capital of ¥1 billion or more, medium-sized ¥100 million to under ¥1 billion, and small and medium ¥10 million to under ¥100 million. The Tankan DI is "excessive" minus "insufficient", so its sign is the opposite: negative means a shortage.
What this data can't tell you
- How many workers are missing — the BSI is only a difference between shares of answers.
- Anything about companies with capital under ¥10 million, which are not covered.
- Which jobs are short of staff.
The full report adds the quarterly trend and outlook, the Tankan trend by size, pay per employee and approximate annual earnings.
Go further with the full report
Japan Wholesale Trade Brief (October 2026)
Market size, IT investment and labor shortage in Japanese wholesale trade, by company size, from official statistics.
Sources
Ministry of Finance and Cabinet Office, Business Outlook Survey (e-Stat table 0003326004); Bank of Japan, Short-Term Economic Survey of Enterprises in Japan (Tankan); compiled by Shokimap. This page uses API functions from e-Stat, however its contents are not guaranteed by government. This page uses the API provided by the "Bank of Japan Time-Series Data Search." The Bank of Japan does not guarantee the content of the service.