• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.390-413
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• 2010

Facing reconfiguration of world economic order in the process of globalization and changes in domestic economic and social conditions, Japan has experienced a rapid inflow of foreign immigrants and hence a restructuring of labor market and ethic and cultural mixture. This paper explores contexts of inflow and social and spatial characteristics of immigrant workers in Japan. Uneven regional development on the global level and shifting to flexible accumulation regime, depletion of previously underutilized labor resource, better-educated youth and shrinking and aging of Japanese populace on the national level can be pointed out as important elements of immigration contexts. This paper also explains the hierarchizaton of labor market and differentiation of spatial distribution of immigrant workers in Japan in terms of visa condition and nationality. In particular, focusing on the case of Hiroshima prefecture, this paper analyzes residential differentiation of immigrants according to their nationality. Finally, it finds out some problems which immigrant workers have confronted in Hiroshima region.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.221-262
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• 2018

This study aims to explore life experiences associated with poverty and discrimination in processes of growth, career exploration, entry into the labor market, and career accumulation of the working high school graduate youths. With this exploration, we also intent to grasp their difficulties and needs, thus look for policy tasks for them. The analysis is based on qualitative case study. The results are following. Typical working high school graduate youths choose not to go on to university under the influence of unfavorable economic situation of the original families. They enter the labor market without enough career exploration and try to continue working mainly in low-income and unskilled jobs. They usually work long hours to increase incomes, thus, do not have enough time to invest on their own human resources. They locate in a vicious circle of income poverty, time poverty, and skill poverty, but rarely protected by existing employment and income support programs. It is necessary to improve or introduces policy packages including labor market transition support for the high school graduate, education, training, and career exploration support, income support for the working poor, social network support, and support for reducing the dead zone of social insurances.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.87-116
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• 2014

Forecasting of short-term employment fluctuations provides a useful tool for policy makers in risk managing the labor market. Following the process of producing the composite leading indicator for macro economy, the paper develops the employment leading indicator(ELI) for the purpose of short-term forecasting non-farm payroll employment in private sectors. ELI focuses on early detecting the point of time and the speed in phase change of employment level.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.113-150
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• 2006

This study examines how labor unions change in the 21st centry and what is needed for successful transformation of Korean labor union. The study identifies four major driving forces of change in union's role. They are changes in industrial and occupational structures, utilization of information technology, labor substitution, and changing attitude of workers. The effects are decrease in union membership, shrinking coverage of bargaining, weakening voice mechanism, and representation. Thus, labor unions in the 21st centry transform themselves into service union, individual representation system, and worker participation model. Korean labor union, with its current reputation of militant unionism, needs to transform into above mentioned model. Two keys for the change are market competition and family unionism.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.9
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• pp.5487-5494
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• 2014

This study examined the relationship between income and the value of leisure to develop a more accurate model of the labor market without necessarily losing the primary merit of the received model. Moreover, with an improved understanding of the labor market dynamics, it can be seen that progressive era labor market legislation, which was designed to mitigate the effects of the bargaining power inequality in low wage labor markets, was in fact based on sensible economic foundations. These low-wage dynamics present an example of a positive feedback system or "vicious circle" at work in the economy. The market dynamics of the low wage sector push the wage away from the range that is consistent with a self-regulating market.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.396-409
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• 2006

In this paper, first I try to sketch the changing Japanese labor market after 1990s, and then examine the so-called "Job $Caf{\acute{e}}$ program" in detail, which was initiated in 2004 by central and local governments to help young people fine suitable jobs, and finally investigate the possible direction for future labor policy as an important tool for revitalize the local economy. Latter half of 1990s witnessed the high unemployment rate among the population aged twenties in Japan, and the number of 'shinsotsu-mugyo', i.e. population not at work after completing high school or university, NEET (not in employment, education or training) and 'freeters' have grown rapidly. "Job $Caf{\acute{e}}$ program" was initiated as a public response to the increased youth unemployment, aiming at assisting young people's transition from education to career. In the Job $Caf{\acute{e}}$ program, job information service by MHLW, information service for high school students and university students by MEXT, placement service of career internship by METI are integrated into one service, and are provided by local government initiative, therefore named as "one stop service of employment". Although it is highly appreciated for one stop service, the Job cafe program has criticized for paying too much attention to the performance of projects, such as the number of users, and the number of successful job matching. At the final section of the paper, more practical spatial unit for executing effective regional plan on local employment and more empirical research on job search behavior are discussed.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.1-24
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• 2014

This paper examines the changes in early reemployment bonus system in Korea and investigates its effects on job finding rates of the unemployed and on their reemployment outcomes. The analysis on the characteristics of the recipients reveals that, after the policy change, the probability of receiving the bonus increases among female, older, and less educated job seekers. This paper also shows that exit hazard from unemployment has not changed significantly while the stability of the subsequent jobs has been substantially improved.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.33-60
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• 2007

This study analyzes the trend of the gender wage gap and its sources in the Korean labor market for the years 1985-2004. Following Oaxaca and Ransom (1994), the gender wage gap is composed of the productivity-related gap and non-productivity-related gap (unobserved productivity gap and discrimination). Empirical findings indicate that both the productivity-related gap and non-productivity-related gap have dwindled, while the decline of the former far excelled that of the latter. The non-productivity-related gender wage gap is much larger for married women than for single women, possibly implying a lower unobserved productivity of married women because of their childcare responsibilities. The non-productivity-related gap is also very substantial in the male-dominated occupations as compared to the female=dominated occupations, supporting the existence of network externalities in employment.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.135-159
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• 1997

Education effect on women's participation in the labor market has been known to be small in Korea. Then, the meaning of women's education as human capital needs to be questioned. Both the increasing desire for working among women and the criticism to under-utilization of women's education in the labor market reflect that women's education is surely perceived as human capital. However, women's education dose not seem to function well as human capital in the labor market. According to previous studies, it is pointed out that educational effect on women's participation in the labor market is weak but the effect on earnings is evident. There were few attempts to evaluate economic returns to women's education over the life-cycle analyzing both working and non-working women. Considering that the economic behaviors of women in nonagricultural sector have changed little until the mid-1980s, I tried to examine the meaning of education as human capital over the women's life cycle using cross - sectional data. This study shows that the educational effect on women's participation in the labor market does not exist and the working period is very short. Although the educational effect on earnings among working women is clearly shown, it tends to limited to younger women. Despite the educational effect on earnings among younger women, the meaning of education as human capital among Korean women does not hold well due to short working period and the low participation of the educated in the labor market.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.107-128
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• 1986

본 연구의 목적은 노동력의 사회적 특성적인 면에 있어서 각기 다른 산업에 종사하는 노동력의 "누가" "어떻게" 변화해 가는가에 중점을 두면서 한국의 산업 각 부분간의 변천과정을 조사하는 데 있다. 이 연구에는 1960, 1970, 1980년에 실시된 한국 센서스 자료가 주로 사용되었다. 본 연구의 결과에 따르면 1960년과 1980년 사이의 한국의 산업 구조적인 면에 있어서의 급속한 변화를 보여주고 있다. 그러한 변화들은 주로 경제발전 정책과 더불어 농촌지역에서 도시지역으로의 인구이동에 기인된다고 하겠다. 예를 들면 1960년에 65%의 노동력이 1차 산업에 종사한 반면에 1980년에는 38.5%로 감소했고 이와는 대조적으로 1960년에 오직 8.7%의 노동력이 2차산업에 종사하던 것이 1980년에는 27.6%로 증가하였다. 3차 산업 역시 1960년에 23.8%에서 1980년에 33.9%로 10%의 증가를 보였다. 경제.발전이 이루어지는 과정에서 실업자들이나 잠재 실업자들이 경제활동에 참여할 수 있었기 때문에 경제구조 자체가 예전에 비해 더 안정이 되고 생활수준도 향상이 되었다고 하겠다. 이러한 결과는 부분적으로는 계속된 5개년 경제개발 계획에 기인된다고 할 수 있다. 경제발전 과정에서의 대도시로의 인구집중, 특히나 2차 산업과 3차 산업이 집중되어 있는 서울로의 인구집중은 주택, 교통, 범죄등 많은 문제를 낳고 있다. 동시에 도시지역에의 과잉 노동력의 존재와 농촌지역에는 특히나 농번기에 노동력 부족현상을 야기시키고 있다. 시간의 흐름에 따라 여성노동력의 비율, 전문직과 사무직 종사자, 그리고 서비스분야 종사자들의 비율이 증가하였는 데 비해 대부분의 다른 국가에서 처럼 한국에 있어서도 자영인의 비율은 경제발전 과정에서 감소하였다. 경제발전과 더불어 보다 전문화되고 조직화된 시장중심의 생산체제가 가구와 지역사회 중심의 생산기능을 흡수하므로서 많은 노동력이 임금 노동자가 되었다. 특히나 단순노동을 통한 많은 젊은 여성들을 고용하는 제조산업 분야에서 여성들이 낮은 임금과 과로 그리고 나쁜 작업환경으로 인하여 그들의 건강을 해치고 직업병을 유발할 가능성이 많다고 하겠다. 지난 20년에 걸친 급속한 정부 주도형의 경제발전은 노동력의 제 산업 간의 급속한 변천과 더불어 긍정적인 측면과 부정적인 측면을 모두 낳았다고 할 수 있겠다.측면을 모두 낳았다고 할 수 있겠다.