Why is there a mismatch in job hunting for seniors? February 16th 18:09
An increasing number of elderly people continue to work even after reaching retirement age.
Job hunting for seniors, many of whom say it's been 40 years since they graduated. I have come to realize that even if you are willing to work, you may not be hired as expected.
(Economy Department reporter Maiko Oe, Kohei Kawahara/Fukui Broadcasting Station reporter Rei Ito/Good Morning Japan director Daiki Tanahashi)
Lively! Senior employment seminar
A seminar to support seniors in planning their lives and finding employment.
The Tokyo Job Center, established by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, holds approximately 60 seminars a year.
Due to the high level of interest, the event is often fully booked.
When we spoke to the participants, many said they had reached retirement age at the company they had worked for for a long time and were considering finding employment at another company.
60 years old, former IT-related company
: ``I retired a few months ago and it's been 38 years since I graduated, so I'm looking for a job for the first time in 38 years, so I'm starting with how to write my resume.I've always imagined what I'd do after retirement. However, it seems like it would be difficult to do it full-time, so I'm thinking that there may be an option if you work in a way that allows you to set specific hours and days of the week.''
64 years old, working at a major automobile affiliate company
: ``I will reach the retirement age of 65 in April, but I feel lonely when I have no work to do, so I would like to continue to be involved in society.I would like to work part-time instead of every day.'' I think it would be fun.”
30% of job seekers over the age of 60 for “economic reasons” “have no employment experience”
The number of working elderly people has declined, reaching 9.12 million, a record high.
Looking at the employment rate by age, the employment rate for those aged 65 to 69 is approximately 50.8%, or one in two.
Among people aged 70 to 74, the number is 33.5%, or 1 in 3 people.
The reasons behind the increasing employment of older people are: ▽Their desire to earn an income while they can work in order to prepare for retirement; ▽An increase in the number of people who want to work while they are healthy due to longer healthy life expectancies; and ▽The elderly This includes changes to the law to expand employment.
Until the 1980s, many companies set the so-called "retirement age" at people in their 50s, but this has been gradually extended, and companies are now obligated to make efforts to secure employment opportunities that allow them to continue working until the age of 70 if they wish. It is being
Seniors who are willing to work are expected to be valuable workers as the population declines.
However, even though there is a labor shortage, there is also the issue of not being able to find a job as expected.
Last year, the major job search site Indeed surveyed approximately 30,000 people over the age of 60 about their job hunting. Of those who said they had experience looking for a job, 48.5% answered that they were looking for a job for financial reasons.
Furthermore, when we asked about 1,600 people who had searched for a job for "economic reasons" after the age of 60 whether they had ever been hired by a company, the answer was "I have never been hired." 27% of people answered that.
Why “mismatch”?
When we interviewed Hello Work to find out what the actual situation was, it became clear that there is a ``mismatch in job types.''
Last year, Hello Work Ikebukuro in Tokyo's Toshima Ward asked 7,020 seniors looking for work through their senior counter, and 23% of them said "clerical" was the most popular type of job they wanted.
On the other hand, looking at the occupations of those who actually found employment, the most common occupation was "transportation/cleaning" at 33%.
It turns out that there is a big difference between the ``job you want'' and the ``job you got'' that you first imagine when you think of getting a job.
It is said that there are many cases where this mismatch becomes a barrier to finding a job.
Hello Work Ikebukuro General Vocational Guidance Officer Ishikawa
: ``Many of the jobs that seniors held during their active years were clerical jobs, so they often look for the same job.However, on the other hand, even if there are job openings for clerical jobs, the recruiting side prefers to hire younger people if possible. The need to recruit people is still high, and there is a mismatch."
At Hello Work, people who want to get a job quickly are encouraged to change jobs based on their wishes and areas of expertise.
For example, there is an example of a person who had overseas sales experience and wanted to put his language skills to use even after retirement, got a job managing a parking lot at a university.
Although the job was different, the university often dealt with visitors from overseas, so it was a workplace that fulfilled his desire to put his English skills to use.
At the counter, we hope to help seniors find a job that is rewarding by carefully listening to what kind of work style they want.
How do you approach job hunting?
There are cases where seniors have difficulty finding a job, so what kind of perspective should they take when looking for a job to avoid mismatches?
We spoke to Makoto Fujimoto of the Japan Institute for Labor Policy and Training, who is an expert on the employment of elderly people.
Fujimoto, Chief Researcher, Japan Institute for Labor Policy and Training
: ``First of all, it is important to understand the market trends for each industry, and gathering information is essential.Also, it is important to 'break down' your own experience and abilities in detail.
Rather than simply looking back on what kind of work you have done, for example, if you are in a sales job, you can analyze the essence of your own abilities and experience by breaking them down into ``interpersonal communication skills,'' ``ability to understand the needs of others,'' and ``adjustment of interests.'' You need to dig deeper into what it is.
By doing so, you will be able to find materials that will help you sell yourself to people in industries you have no experience with.”
A hospital where 84-year-olds still work - ideas
How do we resolve the mismatch?
When looking for hints on how seniors can work, we found that the two keys are ``identification of operations'' and ``improvement.''
Fukui Prefecture has the highest employment rate of elderly people in the country.
At Tanaka Hospital in Fukui City, 26 of the 192 employees working in nursing, nursing care, and office work are 64 years old or older.
By thoroughly identifying tasks that even the elderly can easily do, we are dividing the work between the working generation and seniors.
Kyoko Takatani is the oldest care worker at 84 years old.
About a year ago, I started working short hours, 4 days a week, 4 hours a day.
Mr. Takatani's work consists of the following four tasks.
1. Cleaning equipment before disinfection
2. Carrying documents within the hospital
3. Cleaning toilets and rooms
4. Transporting items such as medicines and testing equipment
Mr. Takatani
: "For me, relationships with people are the most important thing, so working is my purpose in life. I'm happy to be able to help people."
A presence that supports the workplace
The duties performed at the hospital include not only examinations and treatment, but also a wide range of tasks, such as assisting inpatients with meals and preparing testing equipment.
As a result of identifying each task one by one, Mr. Takatani was entrusted with the above four tasks, which were relatively less physically demanding.
Kumiko Sakata, Head Nurse, Tanaka Hospital
: ``Even though my job is relatively light, when I'm in the field, when I get a nurse call or have an emergency test, I tend to focus on that, so washing and other things end up taking a backseat. It's very valuable to have Mr. Takatani take action on this, and I'm grateful."
Senior workers like Mr. Takatani are an essential part of the hospital's workforce.
It is difficult to secure manpower in the industry as a whole, and working styles are diversifying, such as shorter working hours, so by having senior employees work to fill in the gaps, the entire workplace can run smoothly. It is said that
Over 800 improvements!
At Maltswell, a bento manufacturing and sales company located in Matsue City, one-fifth of the employees are over 65 years old.
This company is focusing on finding ways to make work easier for the elderly, and field managers carefully interview each elderly employee.
It is said that they have made over 800 improvements over the past five years.
For example, the packaging sheets used for vacuum-packing food weigh more than 10 kilograms, so some people complained that it was heavy and physically demanding, so the company prepared a trolley.
Additionally, because there are multiple machines on the same floor that heat the ingredients for bento boxes, some people were worried about setting different temperatures for each machine.
We solved this problem by making the temperature display larger and easier to see.
Nozu, Managing Director of a bento manufacturing and sales company
: ``In order to become a sustainable company, elderly people are essential.We will design work to suit everyone's work style, and productivity will gradually increase.'' Ta"
How to make the most of your desire to work
As the labor force of Japan's working-age population is expected to further decline due to the declining birthrate and aging population, how to make use of the workforce of seniors who are willing to work is an urgent issue.
However, it is important to be healthy to work, and as people get older, their health conditions vary from person to person.
Experts point out that thinking about making it easier for seniors to work will lead to creating an environment that is easier for all employees to work in, regardless of their age.
Fujimoto, Chief Researcher, Japan Institute for Labor Policy and Training
: ``It is essential to have a perspective of ``the company accommodating the elderly, rather than accommodating the people who work for the company.'' An attitude of ``understanding each individual's situation and creating an environment.'' It will become important to ``develop jobs that can be done even by the elderly.'' Promoting employment of the elderly means that companies need to consider how to create work styles that match the lives and wishes of each worker. I believe this will serve as an opportunity for people to consider their own issues, increase the motivation of workers, not just the elderly, and lead to improved productivity for companies."
(Broadcast on “Good Morning Japan” on December 19, 2023)
Economy Department reporter
Maiko Oe
joined Yugun cap in 2009
. I'm watching the economy on the street.
Kohei Kawahara,
Economic Affairs Reporter Interviewing
the 2023 entry into the company
reminded me of job hunting two years ago.
Fukui Broadcasting Station reporter
Rei Ito Joined
the station in 2019
In charge of prefectural government
Good Morning Japan Director
Daiki Tanahashi Joined
the station in 2015
After working at Osaka Broadcasting Station, he currently belongs to
the station Interested in history and international affairs