TOKYO -- As Japanese companies look to cut labor costs, workers in their 40s and 50s who traditionally were paid more under a seniority-base system appear to be taking the brunt of wage cuts.
Changing demographics have also intensified the competition for high-paying management positions, which college-educated workers were once more likely to obtain when they hit a certain age. Companies are now retraining older workers in cutting-edge fields to bolster productivity and to make up for a shortage of younger workers.
