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Most vacant jobs in Japan are the kind of thing that's quite difficult to automate: farm worker, health care, construction, sole person running a convenience st

Most vacant jobs in Japan are the kind of thing that's quite difficult to automate: farm worker, health care, construction, sole person running a convenience store, etc. The comparatively easy stuff like repetitive factory work has generally been automated already.

hrktb 8y ago
Aren’t these jobs going to be less and less needed as population decline ? I know there is the wave of elderly people who will be SOL, but to put on my cynical hat, I think the current government has already given up on them, so I see no help on the way for them anyway.
- jpatokal 8y ago
  No. For the next several decades, the rate of people aging out of the workforce will be much faster than the rate of people dying, but they will still need food, healthcare, etc. In effect, Japan's population pyramid has inverted: the dependency ratio of workers to elderly, which was historically under 20%, is currently around 50% and is projected to increase to ~90% by 2050. http://www.ipss.go.jp/pp-newest/e/ppfj02/suikei_g_e.html http://www.ipss.go.jp/pp-newest/e/ppfj02/suikei_g_e.html
  - hrktb 8y ago
    I seriously think the next several decades will just see elderly left on their own with little to no government effective help. Basically the government raising its hand in the air and chanting “we care about you, we’re working super hard because it’s such a huge problem” while just thinking the problem will solve itself naturally. Top middle class and above people have no issue with current demographic problems, and the current elderly population is surprinsigly well behaved and docile given the situation they are in (hell, France has demos for 4 months now and it’s nowhere as dire) An interview from a while ago: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/09/22/national/politics-diplomacy/japans-shrinking-population-not-burden-incentive-abe/#.XLL5dxruafA https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/09/22/national/politi... > “Japan may be aging. Japan may be losing its population. But these are incentives for us,” he said. > “Why? Because we will continue to be motivated to grow our productivity,” Abe added, citing robots, wireless sensors, and artificial intelligence as among the tools to do so. “So, Japan’s demography, paradoxically, is not an onus, but a bonus.” Of course he’s just the facade of a party, he’ll also give other speeches about how they have very solid plans to help the elderly etc. But I kinda feel the above interview was an actual genuine view of how they see the situation.
tmm84 8y ago
I can vouch for this statement. My first job in Japan was in construction. Most of the foreigners I know/see are nurses, care givers, construction workers or convenience store employees.

hrktb 8y ago

Aren’t these jobs going to be less and less needed as population decline ? I know there is the wave of elderly people who will be SOL, but to put on my cynical hat, I think the current government has already given up on them, so I see no help on the way for them anyway.

jpatokal 8y ago
No. For the next several decades, the rate of people aging out of the workforce will be much faster than the rate of people dying, but they will still need food, healthcare, etc. In effect, Japan's population pyramid has inverted: the dependency ratio of workers to elderly, which was historically under 20%, is currently around 50% and is projected to increase to ~90% by 2050. http://www.ipss.go.jp/pp-newest/e/ppfj02/suikei_g_e.html http://www.ipss.go.jp/pp-newest/e/ppfj02/suikei_g_e.html
- hrktb 8y ago
  I seriously think the next several decades will just see elderly left on their own with little to no government effective help. Basically the government raising its hand in the air and chanting “we care about you, we’re working super hard because it’s such a huge problem” while just thinking the problem will solve itself naturally. Top middle class and above people have no issue with current demographic problems, and the current elderly population is surprinsigly well behaved and docile given the situation they are in (hell, France has demos for 4 months now and it’s nowhere as dire) An interview from a while ago: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/09/22/national/politics-diplomacy/japans-shrinking-population-not-burden-incentive-abe/#.XLL5dxruafA https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/09/22/national/politi... > “Japan may be aging. Japan may be losing its population. But these are incentives for us,” he said. > “Why? Because we will continue to be motivated to grow our productivity,” Abe added, citing robots, wireless sensors, and artificial intelligence as among the tools to do so. “So, Japan’s demography, paradoxically, is not an onus, but a bonus.” Of course he’s just the facade of a party, he’ll also give other speeches about how they have very solid plans to help the elderly etc. But I kinda feel the above interview was an actual genuine view of how they see the situation.

tmm84 8y ago

I can vouch for this statement. My first job in Japan was in construction. Most of the foreigners I know/see are nurses, care givers, construction workers or convenience store employees.