Benchmark
Japanese Women Still Aren’t Climbing the Corporate Ladder
Participation rate is up, but many women only work part-time
Getting more women into the workforce was is one way of easing the shortage that these numbers represent, and it’s one of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s goals.
Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg
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Japan’s labor market is the tightest it’s been in decades, the latest data from the labor ministry show. Unemployment equals a two-decade low of 2.8 percent and the ratio of jobs-to-applicants is the highest since the mid 1970s.
Getting more women into the workforce was is one way of easing the shortage that these numbers represent, and it’s one of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s goals. With an aging society, he knows Japan needs more people working to keep the economy moving forward.