Japan: Expert Group Calls for Boosting Number of Elderly Jobholders

Writing for the Daily Yomiuri, Junichi Abe reports that an expert study group of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy has called for boosting significantly the number of jobholders, especially among women and the elderly, by diversifying the ways people can work, and tailoring jobs to fit individual lifestyles and stages in life.

With respect to older workers, the report on formulating an "action guideline to change ways of working" recommended the the employment percentage for people aged 60 to 64 should be increased to 66% by 2017 from the current 53% and that, for those aged 65 to 69, it should be raised to 47% from the current 35%.

The report also clarified the roles the government should play to enhance the ratio of jobholders among the elderly.

It says if the government-proposed bill for revising the Employment Measures Law to ban, in principle, employment discrimination due to age is enacted, ministries concerned should lose no time in working out ways to ensure effective enforcement of the law.

Source: The Yomiuri Shimbun "New ideas for aging problem: Panel's plan calls for employers, govt to help changing workforce" (April 11, 2007)