To Fire or to Hoard? Explaining Japan’s Labor Market Response in the Great Recession

January 1, 2011

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Format: Chicago

Chad Steinberg, and Masato Nakane. To Fire or to Hoard? Explaining Japan’s Labor Market Response in the Great Recession, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2011) accessed November 25, 2024

Disclaimer: This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF.The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate

Summary

The Great Recession pushed Japan’s unemployment rate to historic highs, but the increase has been small by international standards and small relative to the large output shock. This paper explores Japan’s cyclical labor market response to the global financial crisis. Our findings suggest that: (i) employment responsiveness has been historically low but rising over time with the increasing importance of the non-regular workforce; (ii) the labor market response was consistent with historical patterns once we control for the size of the output shock; and (iii) the comparatively lower employment response vis-à-vis other countries can in part be explained by the quick implementation of an employment subsidy program, a more flexible wage system, and a corporate governance structure that places workers rights above shareholders.

Subject: Employment, Labor, Labor markets, Unemployment, Wages

Keywords: Bonus pay, Employment, Establishment size, Firm size, Global, Great Recession, Japan, Labor market, Labor markets, Okun’s Law, Overtime pay, Pay rise, Unemployment, Unemployment rate, Wage bill, Wage flexibility, Wage payment, Wage system, Wages, WP

Publication Details

Pages:

30
Volume:

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DOI:

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Issue:

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Series:

Working Paper No. 2011/015
Stock No:

WPIEA2011015
ISBN:

9781455212514
ISSN:

1018-5941

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