Older Japanese workers seek new jobs as lifetime employment wanes

Job hunters among those aged 45-64 rise 30% from 5 years ago

As Japanese people work longer -- past the traditional retirement age of 60, they are more eager to find positions that better suit their career preferences.

YUI NAKAMURA, Nikkei staff writer

June 20, 2023 05:46 JST

TOKYO -- The number of older Japanese workers seeking a new job has increased significantly in recent years, underscoring the country's shift from its traditional lifetime employment model.

In the first three months of this year, an average of 3.78 million workers aged 45-64 said they wanted to switch jobs, the monthly survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications found. The figure is up by more than 30% from the same period in 2018.