The New Workplace in Japan
Skills for a Strong Recovery
In the context of a rapidly changing world of work, the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened pre-existing challenges to Japan’s adult learning system and raised new ones. This report examines how skill requirements have been evolving in Japan prior to and during the COVID-19 crisis. It examines changes in the skills composition of Japan’s workforce as well as policy efforts to improve the accessibility of career guidance, broaden training participation and foster the adoption of teleworking practices. The report also provides concrete recommendations to tackle inequalities in skills and training among socio-demographic groups. Finally, it provides suggestions for how to develop a labour market information system to feed real-time data into crucial policy and decision-making processes.
How the labour market and skills needs in Japan are changing during the COVID‑19 crisis
In general, the Japanese labour market has avoided many of the negative consequences of the COVID‑19 crisis observed internationally; a small number of industries and some socio‑economic groups have borne the brunt of the pandemic’s effect. This chapter first provides an overview of the impact of the pandemic on the labour market, focusing particularly on those segments of the workforce most affected. It then discusses how the demand and supply of skills had been changing prior to the pandemic. Finally, using innovative methods, the chapter presents an overview of skill requirements in the Japanese labour market and how the pandemic has affected key skills trends.
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