Heterogenous worker flows and Japan's labor market

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K13519
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 07050:Public economics and labor economics-related
• Research Institution: Kansai University
• Principal Investigator: MIZOBATA Hirokazu 関西大学, 経済学部, 准教授 (60727121)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 労働フローデータ / 動的分散分解 / 失業率 / 非正規雇用比率 / 労働時間 / 二重労働市場 / 人口動態 / マッチング関数

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Using aggregate data from the Japanese Labor Force Survey, I analyzed the mechanisms behind the simultaneous increase in the non-regular worker ratio and the unemployment rate. Based on my analyses, an increase in the non-regular worker ratio improves the unemployment rate in the long run. However, during recessionary periods, non-regular employment exhibits a vulnerable aspect, with non-regular workers being more likely to become unemployed than regular workers. This characteristic introduces counter-cyclical movements in the unemployment rate. Additionally, I find that transitions between regular and non-regular workers have played an essential role in determining the dynamics in the non-regular worker ratio. The sluggish transitions between regular and non-regular employment have contributed to a sustained high standard of the non-regular worker ratio in Japan.

Free Research Field

労働経済学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本の労働市場を反映する指標に、失業率、有効求人倍率、非正規雇用比率などがあり、これらは社会的にも大きな関心を集めている。学術的には、これらの労働指標の背後にある労働者の移動(労働フロー)が注目され、一定期間の労働者の状態の変化に焦点を当てた分析がなされてきた。しかしながら、従来のアプローチは就業者の雇用形態を区別してこなかったため、雇用形態別の労働フローの特徴は十分理解されてこなかった。本研究の意義は、雇用形態を区別した労働フロー分析を行い、その特徴を明らかにした点にある。