No. of Workers in Japan to Decrease 12% in 2030

Date: 25 November 2015 - 19:56

News ID: ۲۱۰۰۴

TOKYO — The number of workers in Japan will fall 7.9 million or 12.4% to 55.61 million in 2030 from 2014 if the graying country fails to attain economic growth and bring more women and the elderly into the workforce, a government estimate showed Tuesday.
The estimate also showed all of Japan’s 47 prefectures will face a decline in such working force due to a dwindling birthrate and an aging population, and that non-urban areas, which are rapidly aging, tend to face larger declining rates than urban areas.
The declining rate exceeded 20% in eight such prefectures including Akita, Aomori and Kochi, while it stood at less than 10% in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Aichi and two other prefectures.
Japan’s total population is expected to decrease by about 10 million in 2030 from the current level. The working population, which is represented by the number of people employed or engaging in self-owned business in the estimate, constitutes important data as its sharp decline could lead industries to slump and markets at home to shrink.
By industry, the number of people in the manufacturing industry will drop to 8.74 million in 2030, compared with 10.04 million in 2014, while that in the wholesale and retail businesses will slip to 8.47 million from 11 million, according to the estimate.
The number of people working in the medical and welfare business, meanwhile, is estimated to rise to 9.1 million from 7.47 million amid the aging society.
The estimate was presented by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare during a meeting of a panel to study employment policies. The panel proposed there is a need to reform the working culture to attract women and the elderly, such as by capping long working hours.
Under a scenario based on a brighter outlook, in which real economic growth of 2% is achieved annually and more people enter the workforce, the number of employed people will decrease 1.82 million in 2030, the estimate showed.