It has become an important task to try to prevent unemployment and other unfavorable situations for workers in certain types of businesses where employment is not expected to recover due to changes in the industrial structure brought about by continuing internationalization and other factors.
      In light of these conditions and based on the Job-type Employment Stability Law, support, including subsidies, is being extended to employers who take measures to promote employment stability , such as ensuring employment opportunity and development human resources when there is a transfer of labor among industries or businesses and forums for employment creation, seminars which provide information on labor transfers and other activities are being held.
      Employment conditions remain harsh under the present economy and it is becoming increasingly difficult for enterprises to maintain existing levels of employment.
      It is particularly difficult for middle-aged and older workers to gain re-employment once they leave their jobs.
      To cope with these problems, a temporary program was initiated for the period from January to September 1999, by which employers could receive subsidies that covered a portion of the wages and the costs of vocational training when they employed middle-aged or older workers (aged: 45 to 59) under difficult employment conditions, provided that such workers were not unemployed.
      The above subsidy was established by markedly extending the content of the special subsidy for labor mobility for middle-aged and older workers. The intention was to increase human resource mobility, and to establish a "special subsidy for human resource mobility" (its temporary name).

Grants Provided to Employers Who Contribute to Labor Mobility and the Employment of Middle-Aged and Older Workers When employers accept middle-aged or older workers (aged: 45-59) from designated enterprises by transfer or re-employment, this program covers one-third of the costs of these activities (one-half for smaller enterprises). The grants are temporarily available from January 1, 1999, to September 30, 1999.

Grants Provided to Employers Concerning Skill Development for Labor Mobility of Middle-Aged or Older Workers When employers provide vocational training for middle-aged and older workers to gain necessary knowledge and skills for new jobs, this program covers two-thirds of the wages during that vocational training as well as the costs of such training (three-quarters for smaller enterprises.) The grants were temporarily available from January 1, 1999, to September 30, 1999.

Outline of Policies Based on the Job-Type Employment Stability Law The following support is being provided to employers in specified employment adjustment sectors who second employees, help to re-employ them or reassign them to new posts accompanying shifts in business operations. a. Counseling and payment of grants (labor shift employment stability grants, labor shift human resources development grants) b. Special consideration concerning cash loans for occupational training facilities (employment promotion loans) c. Loans for the housing of transferred workers