| Chapter 2 | Job Creation |
| Section 1 | Changes in Employment Structure |
| In tertiary industries, the number of employees has continued to grow even after the collapse of the "bubble". Employment growth has been particularly strong in information fields, business services, the medical and social welfare fields, recreation fields, and in wholesale and retail trade, eating and drinking places industry such as supermarkets and convenience stores. The percentage of job creation taking place in medium-sized companies, primarily in tertiary industries, has been gradually increasing, and further job creation in companies of this size is expected going forward. During the bubble period, job creation was focused in major metropolitan areas, but the pull of metropolitan areas has weakened since the collapse of the bubble. |
Changes in the Economic Structure
Since the second half of the 1980s, developments such as deregulation and the creation of information networks in recent years, in addition to increasing international competition and trends toward adding more value and a shift to a service economy, have accelerated structural changes in the Japanese economy.
Changes in Employment Structure by Industries
An analysis of changes in employment structure by industries since 1985 shows that the number of employees in tertiary industries, such as services, wholesale and retail trade, and eating and drinking places, has continued to increase even after the collapse of the bubble (Fig. 42). Employment growth has been particularly increasing strong in service industry such as information fields, business services, the medical and social welfare fields, recreation fields and in the wholesale and retail trade, and eating and drinking places such as supermarkets and convenience stores.
A breakdown by company size shows that the percentage in medium-sized companies has been gradually increasing primarily in tertiary industries. As industries become more service-oriented, operators in services, wholesales and retail trade, and eating and drinking places have gradually changed from self-employed workers or operations of small and mid-sized companies to operations of larger medium-sized companies. Going forward, medium-sized companies that are able to operate efficiently with a certain scale of employees are expected to contribute to job creation (Fig. 43).
Changes in Employment Structure by Regions
During the bubble period, job creation was focused in major metropolitan areas, and there was a concentration of employment in major metropolitan areas and away from outlying regions. However, the pull of metropolitan areas has weakened since the collapse of the bubble economy. In outlying regions in the first half after the collapse of the bubble economy, there was a large increase in the number of employees due to the supporting effects of public works. However, in the second half of the 1990s, the effects of these projects subsided, and the mismatch between outlying regions and major metropolitan areas was reduced (Fig. 44).