Characteristics and issues of Japan's human resource development and career formation : from an international comparative perspective

This paper examines skill development and career formation in Japan, taking into account the educational system, and further examines Japanʼs current situation and policy issues (mainly the 11th Vocational Skills Development Plan (by Ministry of Health Labor and Welfare) through international comparisons. The relationship between labor mobility and reskilling can be summarized as labor movement within a company and labor movement between companies (cases where a dismissed worker is reemployed through some kind of organization, and labor movement due to voluntary job change). The current situation and issues of each relationship were examined by making international comparisons. As a result of the examination, considering the current state of involvement of the government, labor, and management in skill development and career formation in Japan, the involvement of vocational education and training (VET) and labor unions in skills, which are the foundation for securing labor mobility seen in collectivist countries, is also weak. Therefore, we conclude that labor movement due to reskilling is likely to remain within the scope of intra-company transfers. On the other hand, if the aim is to promote labor mobility through voluntary job changes, the scope of work experience should be narrowed by strengthening the relationship between education and work, while lowering the ratio of new graduate recruitment and the weight of company-led placement and transfer policies.