1998 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Youth Unemployment in Japan
| Project/Area Number |
09630048
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
経済政策(含経済事情)
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| Research Institution | Takasaki City University of Economics |
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Principal Investigator |
ISHII Hisako Takasaki City University of Economics, Economics, Associate Professor, 経済学部, 助教授 (50285061)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1997 – 1998
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| Keywords | Unemployment / Youth labor / Technology |
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| Research Abstract |
This study investigates the sources of growing unemployment among Japanese youth. Since the sources of unemployment are dynamic and complex, it analyzes them from broad perspectives. As supply-related factors, it considers the size of the labor force, labor turnover, job changes to different places, and the behavior of new entrants into the labor market. As demand-related factors, it investigates three kinds of unemployment: frictional, structural, and cyclical.
The study pays attention particularly to labor turnover in relation to skill formation. It is well known that the internal labor market is developed in Japanese large firms where massive training takes place for skill formation. Career formation is also possible within it. The entrance to such labor market is usually limited to new graduates. However, the size of the internal labor market is shrinking due to the restructuring of the Japanese labor market. Opportunities for getting into the internal labor market thus become rather limited. At the same time, the size of the external labor market is expanding, where labor turnover takes place frequently. Stable employment is necessary for skill formation since it is considered to be human capital investment.
This study therefore raises an issue concerning skill formation on the job. The size of the labor force becomes smaller in coming years in Japan. Without filling in the skill-gap among youth, youth unemployment continues to be a significant problem in Japan.
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