Labor Force Participation Rate of Females Increases for the First Time in Eight Years, Boosted by Middle-aged and Elderly Women

A 2005 Annual Reports for Working Woman (White Paper) published by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has shown that the proportion of female workers - those who are actually in work or looking for a job - to the total number of females aged 15 and above (labor force participation rate) was 48.8 percent in 2005, an increase of 0.1 percentage points year-on-year and the first increase in eight years. The participation rate for females aged 15 and above, exceeding 50 percent in 1990, had been declining since 1998. The white paper attributes the higher participation rate to an increase in job openings for females and, in particular, an increase in the number of females aged 45 and above who are in work, due to the economic recovery in recent years.

In 2005, the number of female workers totaled 26.33 million, the third consecutive annual increase. The number of unemployed females fell by 50,000 year-on-year to 1.16 million, a drop for the third consecutive year, together with the number of unemployed male workers (1.78 million). The unemployment rate stood at 4.2 percent (a drop of 0.2 percentage points year-on-year). By industry, large numbers of female workers are seen in the wholesale and retail businesses (4.97 million); the medical and welfare sector (4.08 million); manufacturing (3.28 million); and the service sector (3.23 million).

The latest white paper highlights the present employment situation and the views of baby boomers and other middle-aged and elderly women. Above all, attention is drawn in the white paper to the strong desire among females for employment. Among females aged 45 and above who are not in work, those who wish to find employment totaled 3.17 million, far exceeding the figure for males, which stood at 2.37 million. In every age group within the range of 45-64, there are 600,000-700,000 middle-aged or elderly women who wish to work: even among those aged 60-64, 590,000 females express a wish to work. The desire among those females to work is as high as among their male counterparts (650,000), an increasing number of whom will soon leave the labor market due to the mandatory retirement age but are expected to show an interest in re-entering the market.

The white paper also gives the findings of a survey addressed to approximately 11,000 middle-aged and elderly persons - both male and female - aged 45 and above. Asked what they will tell their children about working life, as many as 51.5 percent of the females surveyed replied that they would tell their daughters that women should work actively, rather than staying at home. The figure exceeds the proportion of the males surveyed who gave the same answer, 34.4 percent, showing the gap between men and women concerning the concept of women going out to work.

Whether or not middle-aged and elderly women will continue to work depends substantially on the need for care among family members. In line with this, the survey asked what the respondents did when they were required to provide family care; in response, about 80 percent of the males surveyed did not wish to quit their jobs but continue working, whereas only about 50 percent of the females surveyed answered in the same way.
The white paper emphasizes that the vitality and strength of Japan's economic society will rely on how to incorporate females into the labor market, as their desire to work certainly matches that of their male counterparts.