Japan Job Availability: Updated Oct. 17, 2023

 Article Source: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230630/p2g/00m/0bu/018000c

Article:

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's job availability ratio for May fell 0.01 point from the previous month to 1.31, the first drop in two months, as ongoing high material prices and utility bills weighed on recruitment activities in some sectors, government data showed Friday.

The country's unemployment rate, meanwhile, remained unchanged at 2.6 percent in May.

The latest job-to-applicant ratio means there were 131 job openings for every 100 job seekers. Employment offers fell in the manufacturing and construction sectors from a year earlier, down 5.4 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively.

Ideas:

The jobs availability index and the unemployment rate was not a significant change even though there have been some sectors with material and energy price challenges.

Of the 131 jobs available for every 100 job seekers, how many of these jobs are quality jobs and not contract type job but jobs with good benefits.

And how many of these jobs provide good salaries with good work/life balance.

Perhaps, the manufacturing and construction jobs are very labor intensive and many young people these days don't want to work in those areas, preferring to work in office big company jobs.

Article:

"Although companies are facing a manpower shortage, soaring material prices and labor costs have pressured their earnings, prompting them to hold off hiring," a Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare official said.

Among sectors that increased job offers, accommodation and food saw the sharpest rise of 13.5 percent due to a recovery in demand for eating out and travel on the back of receding concern about the coronavirus and an increase in visitors to Japan.

Last month, the Japanese government downgraded COVID-19 to the same category as seasonal flu and significantly relaxed medical countermeasures, marking a major shift in its approach after three years of dealing with the disease.

Ideas:

Companies are going to have to make a choice between hiring more workers, as needed, or continuing to keep their profit margins low because of material and energy costs increasing.

It's logical that service sector jobs are increasing as they were the biggest losers during the pandemic situation. 

But now they might be increasing prices as a way to make-up for all of the losses during the pandemic.

And as more and more international tourists, including those again from China go to Japan,the services sector needs even more jobs.

But will they have good paying competitive jobs are will they low-wage jobs typical for service sector jobs.

Article:

The number of job openings decreased 0.7 percent in May from the previous month, while that of job seekers grew 0.1 percent, the labor ministry said.

The jobless data released the same day by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed the unemployment rates stood at 2.7 percent and 2.4 percent for men and women, respectively, unchanged from a month before.

Ideas:

Job openings might have decreased but it depends on the sector or sectors where the jobs were available as some sectors might not have many openings and some might have had more.

A 0.1 percent increase in job seekers is not significant enough to say much as there could be many factors for the increase as with a decrease.

The unemployment rate for men might have been higher than for woman at 2.7 to 2.4 percent as maybe, unfortunately, there were not as many good paying jobs available for men while for women, again unfortunately, low-paying jobs were more available. 

Article:

"Employment in the accommodation and eatery sectors among both men and women is recovering to pre-pandemic levels amid a return to economic normalcy after the government downgraded COVID-19," an internal affairs ministry official said.

The number of unemployed people in May decreased 1.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted 1.77 million people.

Among them, 710,000 people voluntarily left their jobs, down 2.7 percent, while 440,000 people were dismissed, unchanged from the previous month.

Ideas:

The accommodation and eatery sectors, unfortunately, are usually always subject to seasonal changes and always subject to low-wages compared to large company office type jobs.

But if the service sectors want to try and get the best qualified candidate for their jobs and keep the best candidates they need to think about how to increase wages and also provide work/life balances, if possible.

For example is is reasonable for a front desk hotel worker to work a 24 hour shift or even a 12 hour shift and can hotels find a better work/life balance for their workers.

Of the 710,000 who left their jobs, was it because they wanted to look for a new job, was it because they didn't like their job, or were their other reasons for leaving their job.

However, there is always going to those in and out of the workforce as people are always leaving the workforce and joining the workforce.

A economy will never be a 0 percent unemployment as there are always changes going in an economy in terms of work.

Have a nice day and be safe!