Spot Work Market Report: Growing Demand and Wage Insights for 2026

Spot Work Market Report - February 2026

The survey conducted by Tsunagu Group Holdings, a leading provider of recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) and consulting services in Japan, shows a rising trend in the spot work sector. This report, released by the Tsunagu Work Style Research Institute, summarizes the significant data for February 2026 and reflects a burgeoning market for short-term, on-demand jobs.

Key Highlights

1. Spot Work Job Openings: The ratio of job openings to applicants for spot work has reached 3.26, showing a notable increase of 1.82 points compared to the same month last year.
2. Diverse Job Growth: While the growth rate for available work decreased from the previous month, the sectors of warehousing and transportation demonstrated strong performance compared to the same period last year.
3. Average Hourly Wage: The average hourly wage for spot workers is now 1,237 yen, which is 86 yen lower than the usual part-time wage average.

Detailed Findings

Rising Job Openings

The February 2026 report indicates that the job opening-to-application ratio for spot work is 3.26, a reflection of the sector's expansion. Despite a typical seasonal drop in job openings observed in January and February, requirements were up 1.82 points year-on-year. Nonetheless, the number of job openings dropped by 17.4% compared to January, and decreased by 5.99 points from the peak in December.

Sector Insights

The growth rate for available work saw a drop of 17.4% from the previous month, but a marginal year-on-year increase of 2.5% was noted overall. Breaking it down by sector:

- Warehousing & Light Work: Experienced a decrease of 24.1% month-on-month.
- Convenience Store Staff: Saw a 14.0% decline.
- Transportation & Drivers: Stood out with a significant 54.2% drop.

However, when compared to the same month last year, warehousing and light work roles exhibited a 41.8% increase, and transportation and driver jobs skyrocketed by 125.4%.

Average Hourly Wage

The average wage for spot workers was recorded at 1,237 yen, which is a slight decrease of 2 yen from the previous month and a more substantial drop of 65 yen compared to last year. This figure is significantly lower than the average part-time wage of 1,323 yen reported by Recruit, leading to the conclusion that traditional part-time jobs offer better compensation.