How Permanent was Permanent Employment?

Abstract

Using work histories in three Japanese social stratification and mobility surveys, we examined assertions about permanent employment. We measured its extent and estimated the number of employers typical employees would have during their worklife. Our results suggest that macrohistorical events and postwar economic developments affected permanent employment, which differed by firm size and occupations. Mobility differences were most marked among young workers, with white-collar, large-firm workers having the lowest mobility and blue-collar, small-firm workers having the highest. This order was reversed as workers aged, resulting in a similar number of total employer changes over the life for both groups.