Articles

Japanese labour market: diversification of forms of employment

Vostok/Oriens '2017, №4

DOI: 10.7868/S0869190817040124

 
The entry of the Japanese economy in the early nineties in a stage of a deep and long depression, acceleration of the process of ageing of population, and also the increasing diversification of life styles and preferences of Japanese have led to noticeable changes at the labour market. The most important of them is the sharp increase of a share and number of non-regular employees. At the same time, there was a diversification of forms of employment of both regular and non-regular employees, and as a result the Japanese labour market has acquired a new configuration, becoming more complex and diverse. Though objectively the diversification of forms of employment creates conditions for involvement in economic activity of the increasing number of citizens, there is a number of painful problems in this sphere. These problems include a deep gap between regular and non-regular employees concerning compensation, opportunities of professional growth, amount of social guarantees, and also the social status; complexity of transition from the category of the non-regular employees to the category of regular employees; the commitment of the Japanese companies to practice of hiring the graduates of schools and universities, who do not have work experience; inequality originated at a hiring stage between men and women from the point of view of opportunities of professional and career development, etc. The government and companies take measures to improve the situation, but it is hardly possible to expect fast changes in this area.

Keywords: labour market, forms of employment, restricted regular employees, lifetime employment, gender inequality

Pages: С. 115–127