Wage Structures and Labor Turnover in the U.S. and in Japan

The starting point of this study is the proposition that intensive formation of human capital on the job is the basic proximate reason for the strong degree of worker attachment to the firm in Japan. The greater emphasis on training and retraining, much of it specific to the firm, results also in steeper wage trajectories, due to growth of skills in the firm. We explore this insight more thoroughly by a detailed use of micro-data for the two countries: We measure wage profiles and turnover in age groups, and we test the inverse relation between the two on industry sectors within each of the countries. Using productivity growth indexes for industries in the U.S. and in Japan we test the hypothesis that rapid technical change which induces greater and continuous training, is responsible for steeper profiles, hence indirectly for lesser turnover. The hypothesis is confirmed on the sectoral level in both countries. Finally, we try to standardize for the cultural background of workers, by observing a sample of Japanese plants in the U.S. which employ American workers, and use Japanese labor policies in recruitment and training. We find that the steeper tenure-wage slopes and lower turnover place this sample closer to Japan than to the U.S.

A comparative study of Japanese plants operating in the U.S. and American plants: Recruitment, job training, wage structure and job separation

This study compares recruitment, job training, wage structure, and labor mobility of Japanese plants operating in the U.S. (JPUS plants) with local American owned plants. In the Japanese labor market, the job separation rate is remarkably lower and the wage-tenure profile is steeper than in the United States (see section II). This observation has been interpreted mainly through two theories: the view which stresses the cultural and traditional value of company loyalty, and the perspective which places a strong emphasis on the role of job training. However, studies relying only on international comparisons conclude that it is very difficult to distinguish between cultural and economic related factors. By looking at the JPUS plants (which employ American workers), this analysis strives to separate cultural influences from the influences of technology and production systems. This paper statistically examines the following: (1) whether there are differences in modes of recruitment and job training between the JPUS plants and other American plants, and (2) if so, how these differences influence individual wage growth and job separation rate

Maternity Leave Policies and Womens Employment after Childbirth: Evidence from the United States, Britain and Japan

This paper uses microdata from the United States, Britain and Japan to examine the effects of family leave coverage on women's employment after childbirth. The United States had no national family leave legislation until 1993, but many women were covered by employer policies. Britain has had maternity leave legislation since 1978, but until 1993 only about half of working women were covered. Japan has had maternity leave legislation since 1947 but not all workers were covered. We find that young children continue to have a very negative effect on women's employment, particularly in Britain. We also find that family leave coverage increases the likelihood that a woman will return to her employer after childbirth, with a particularly marked effect in Japan. This result suggests that the recent expansions in family leave coverage are likely to lead to increased employment of women after childbirth.maternity leave, womens employment

Working Hours Policy From an Economics Standpoint (Japanese)

In recent years, the Japanese government has introduced a number of measures to solve the problem of employees working excessive hours. Although these measures can sometimes interfere with the free trade of individual economic entities, this paper returns to the basic standpoint of economics to consider on which occasions government interference in the decision on working hours can be justified and by what policy measures the interference might be effective. As a result, the paper shows that, unlike other general trading of goods, "market failure," as it is known in economics, can readily arise in a special trade called "labor" that is inseparable from the human mind and body. and that government interference with working hours becomes necessary, particularly in the following cases: when low wages and long working hours arise in an environment where a minimum income and leisure time necessary for survival exist; when large semi-fixed costs arise, reflecting only changes in the number of personnel, irrespective of working hours, under circumstances where there is difference in bargaining power between labor and management; when individual labor-management talks are a "one-to-one" deal as the labor market is not liquid; when teamwork is required; and when a "negative external effect" arises from individual work agreements that have an impact on other workers. This paper examines the likelihood that the aforementioned conditions will come into effect along with changes in economic growth, progress in globalization, and the upgrading and diversification of duties, resulting in changes in the need for and nature of policies on working hours. In doing so, these perspectives from an economics point of view will be compared with those from a legal perspective. This paper shows that government interference in the decision on working hours can be beneficial for workers, but could be disadvantageous for employers and the overall economy, depending on how it is implemented. Problems such as workforce downsizing could also arise for workers. It is thus concluded that the government needs to take these points into account when implementing working hour policies.

Development of Portable Gas Sampling Equipment to Measure VOC Emissions from a Two-wheeled Vehicle

Joint Research on Environmental Science and Technology for the Eart

Worker Displacement in Japan and Canada

Statistics Canada for generously providing customized counts of separation and displacement rate

Effect of different types of carbohydrate supplementation on glycogen supercompensation in rat skeletal muscle

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