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Aspects of Labor Market Adjustments in Japan

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  • Hashimoto, Mansanori

Abstract

This article discusses some aspects of labor market adjustments in Japan that may be relevant to the low unemployment rate there. Japanese statistics treat 'kyugyosha' (persons not at work) as being employed, but some of these workers would be counted as unemployed in the United States. The 'kyugyosha' group appears to increase in size during downturns and decreases during upturns, suggesting that temporarily laid-off persons are an important part of this group. Japanese employers evidently rely less on employment adjustments, and more on adjustments in hours of work and inventory, while employers in the United States rely more on employment adjustments, to deal with cyclical changes in product demand. Japanese manufacturing employment became less sensitive, and hours of work more sensitive, to demand shocks after the introduction of the Employment Insurance Law in 1975. Copyright 1993 by University of Chicago Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Hashimoto, Mansanori, 1993. "Aspects of Labor Market Adjustments in Japan," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 11(1), pages 136-161, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jlabec:v:11:y:1993:i:1:p:136-61
    DOI: 10.1086/298320
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ono, Hiroshi & Rebick, Marcus, 2002. "Impediments to the Productive Employment of Labor in Japan," SSE/EFI Working Paper Series in Economics and Finance 500, Stockholm School of Economics.
    2. Kawai, Eizo, 2001. "Re-examination of wage, employment, and hours adjustments: what is crucial for differences in the adjustments?," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 483-497, December.
    3. Glosser, Stuart M. & Golden, Lonnie, 1997. "Average work hours as a leading economic variable in US manufacturing industries," International Journal of Forecasting, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 175-195, June.
    4. Moriguchi, Chiaki & Ono, Hiroshi, 2004. "Japanese Lifetime Employment: A Century's Perspective," EIJS Working Paper Series 205, Stockholm School of Economics, The European Institute of Japanese Studies.
    5. Boyer, Robert & Juillard, Michel, 1998. "The contemporary Japanese crisis and the transformations of the wage labor nexus," CEPREMAP Working Papers (Couverture Orange) 9822, CEPREMAP.
    6. Kandel, Eugene & Pearson, Neil D., 2001. "Flexibility versus Commitment in Personnel Management," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 515-556, December.
    7. Marcus E. Rebick, 1994. "Social Security and Older Workers' Labor Market Responsiveness: The United States, Japan, and Sweden," NBER Chapters, in: Social Protection versus Economic Flexibility: Is There a Trade-Off?, pages 189-222, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. David Kucera, 1998. "Unemployment and External and Internal Labor Market Flexibility: A Comparative View of Europe, Japan, and the United States," SCEPA working paper series. 1998-21, Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA), The New School.
    9. Naomi N. Griffin, 2005. "Labor Adjustment, Productivity and Output Volatility: An Evaluation of Japan's Employment Adjustment Subsidy: Working Paper 2005-10," Working Papers 17567, Congressional Budget Office.
    10. Hart, Robert A. & Malley, James R., 2000. "Marginal cost and price over the business cycle: comparative evidence from Japan and the United States," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 547-569, September.
    11. Griffin, Naomi N., 2010. "Labor adjustment, productivity and output volatility: An evaluation of Japan's Employment Adjustment Subsidy," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 28-49, March.
    12. Hiroshi Ono & Marcus Rebick, 2003. "Constraints on the Level and Efficient Use of Labor," NBER Chapters, in: Structural Impediments to Growth in Japan, pages 225-258, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Robert Boyer & Michel Juillard, 1997. "Le rapport salarial japonais a-t-il atteint ses limites ?," Revue Économique, Programme National Persée, vol. 48(3), pages 731-739.
    14. David Kucera, 1998. "Foreign Trade and Men and Women's Employment and Earnings in Germany and Japan," SCEPA working paper series. 1998-17, Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA), The New School, revised Aug 1998.
    15. Hiroshi Ono & Marcus E. Rebick, 2003. "Constraints on the Level and Efficient Use of Labor in Japan," NBER Working Papers 9484, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Boyer, Robert & Yamada, Toshio, 2000. "An epochal change... but uncertain futures: The Japanese capitalism in crisis. A "regulationist" interpretation," CEPREMAP Working Papers (Couverture Orange) 0005, CEPREMAP.
    17. Masanori Hashimoto & Yoshio Higuchi, 2005. "Issues Facing the Japanese Labor Market," Working Papers 05-01, Ohio State University, Department of Economics.
    18. Sebastien Lechevalier & Cyrille Dossougoin & Christophe Hurlin & Satoko Takaoka, 2014. "How did the Japanese Employment System Change?Investigating the Heterogeneity of Downsizing Practices across Firms," KIER Working Papers 883, Kyoto University, Institute of Economic Research.

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