Switching works goes against the culture, but is no longer a taboo

TOKYO — Japan’s labor shortage has pushed job-hopping to its highest since the global financial crisis, as companies scramble for workers with experience in the rapidly aging economy.

Job-hopping goes against the grain of Japan’s work culture, where many companies hire graduates and employ them until they retire. But the country’s jobs-for-life system is slowly giving way as firms curb labor costs and society shifts.

Switching jobs for better conditions is no longer taboo amid a tightening labor market, and the trend is being led by midcareer workers.

“There’s always a risk of failure. But you can’t get what you want if you don’t try,” said Hiromichi Itakura, 44, head of a medical job placement department at Saint Media Inc in Tokyo, who changed jobs in January.

“I took up this job because it gives me a more responsible post. As a salary man, I also wanted a higher salary,” he said, adding that his pay is now 20 percent higher than previously.

The number of job-hoppers rose for the seventh straight yearto3.06millioninlastyear, the highest since 2009, though it still accounts for just 4.8 percent of the labor market.

Older workers have more opportunities because of demographics: a fast-aging society, low birthrate and falling working-age population. The jobless rate has stood at a near two-decade low while the jobsto-applicants ratio is at a 43-year high.

Big companies say the labor market is at its tightest since 1992, according to the Bank of Japan’s latest “tankan” survey published this week.

Though job turnover is still low relative to other major economies — the change should be welcome news to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has been championing labor flexibility and meritbased pay — with little success so far.

Enhancing labor mobility is expected to help raise low productivity and boost wages, getting Japan convincingly out of a deflationary rut.

Companies facing labor shortages are willing to pay for battle-tested workers who don’t need as much training.

Electric motor maker Nidec Corp is actively hiring midcareer engineers and remuneratingthemfortheirexperience.