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Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142) - Japan (RATIFICATION: 1986)

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The Committee notes the observations of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (JTUC-RENGO), communicated with the Government’s report received on 29 August 2023. The Committee requests the Government to provide its comments in this respect.

Article 1 of the Convention. Formulation and implementation of policies and programmes of vocational guidance and vocational training. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that Public Employment Services Offices provide vocational guidance and employment placement services in Japan. The Government states that it does not have statistical information disaggregated by gender or age on the impact of vocational guidance. The Government also indicates that public vocational training for the unemployed mainly targets those receiving employment insurance benefits, aiming to help them acquire the necessary skills and knowledge for re-employment. The Government reports that out of 91,085 participants who began vocational training for unemployed in 2021, 34,351 were men (37.7 per cent) and 56,734 women (62.3 per cent), under 20 years old accounted for 1,241 (1.4 per cent), 20–24 years – 7,727 (8.5 per cent), 25–29 years – 11,945 (13.1 per cent), 30–34 years – 10,729 (11.8 per cent), 35–39 years – 10,949 (12.0 per cent), 40–44 years – 11,240 (12.3 per cent), 45–49 years – 12,167 (13.4 per cent), 50–54 years – 10,519 (11.5 per cent), 55–59 years – 6,968 (7.6 per cent), 60–64 years – 6,039 (6.6 per cent), and those 65 years old and over – 1,561 (1.7 per cent). The Government states that, in the same year, 86.1 per cent of participants completed in-facility training and 73 per cent of those completed outsourced training secured employment within three months after completing training. The Government also states that the Support System for Job Seekers Programme provides vocational training to job seekers who are not eligible for employment insurance benefits. In 2021, among 28,000 participants in job seeker support training, 13,000 received a vocational training subsidy. After completing the activity, 53.9 per cent of participants of the basic course (on basic skills and skills obtainable in short time) and 60 per cent of the participants of the practical course (such as on information technologies (IT), sales, office work, nursing, care, welfare, design) found employment. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide updated detailed information on the nature, scope and impact of the vocational guidance and training measures on the integration in the labour market of participants in these programmes, and to take the necessary steps to collect, analyse and share statistical information disaggregated by sex and age. It further requests the Government to continue providing updated information on the policies, laws and administrative regulations that include specific provisions on vocational guidance and training, and on their contribution to attaining the objectives of the Convention, including measures taken to coordinate vocational education and training policies with education, training and employment policies.

Article 3. Vocational guidance policy. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the Job Card scheme, which aims at facilitating employment and promoting individual career progression, provides career consultations and is a tool for “career planning throughout life” and “human resource development certification”. The Committee notes that, according to the Vocational Abilities Development Promotion Act (No. 64) of 1969, the Government determines the form of Job Cards, disseminates these and promotes their use. The Government reports about the launch of “My Job Card” website in October 2022 enabling users to create, save, and update their Job Cards online, which resulted in increased use of Job Cards. The Committee also notes the Employment Service Statistics on employment, according to which the ratio of persons who found employment to new applications decreased from 32 per cent in 2019 to 26.5 per cent in 2022. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide updated detailed information, including statistical data disaggregated by sex and age, on the nature, scope and impact of the Job Card scheme, as well as on other vocational guidance measures aimed at promoting access to education, training and lifelong learning. The Committee once again requests the Government to provide information concerning the nature and content of materials made available for vocational guidance and training purposes.

Article 4. Vocational training systems and lifelong learning. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that “Hello Mothers Work” project enables job seeking mothers to visit employment consultations with their children and receive information on child rearing. The Government reiterates that “Hello Mothers Work” does not offer vocational training but provides information about vocational training in employment consultations, with 56,000 mothers finding jobs in 2021. The Government reiterates information on its efforts to promote participation of women in lifelong learning by expanding learning opportunities, such as encouraging return to universities and vocational schools, providing a learning environment at the Open University of Japan and promoting women’s education through instruction courses and research at the National Women’s Education Centre. It also refers to training with childcare services and short-term training as part of skill development support for re-employment of mothers. The “Hello Work for New Graduates” programme, through which 163,165 graduates obtained regular employment in 2021, and “Hello Work for Youth” support centres, enabled 108,235 young casual employees to secure regular employment in 2021 through consultations, seminars and vocational training. Similar support is provided by the “Employment Ice Age Generation” programme, which helped 112,543 persons between 35–45 years to receive regular employment. The Government indicates the absence of statistical data on the impact of these measures for women, young people and the long-term unemployed on lasting employment, including disaggregated data by age, gender, or other categories. Noting the importance of disaggregated data for assessment of the real labour market situation and the manner in which the adjustments are made for various categories of population,theCommittee reiterates its request to the Government to provide disaggregated statistical data by age and sex on the impact of the measures implemented to promote access to vocational education, guidance and lifelong learning on lasting employment for specific groups, particularly women, young persons, and the long-term unemployed. In particular, the Committee requests the Government to supply detailed information, including disaggregated data by age and sex, on the number of beneficiaries of these measures, the average period within which these persons obtain employment after completing the training, and the nature of the employment (full-time, part-time or others).

Article 5. Cooperation with the social partners. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the Basic Plan for Human Resources Development as stipulated in the Vocational Abilities Development Promotion Act (No. 64) of 1969 is aimed to ensure consistent and efficient implementation of vocational training, vocational abilities tests and other measures to promote development and improvement of human resources. The Committee notes that the Act requires the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare to consult the tripartite Labour Policy Council before deciding on objectives of human resources development and measures to be taken. Based on the plan, the Government may make recommendations to local governments and employers’ organizations. Local governments endeavour to formulate a basic plan for human resources reflecting the opinions of employers, workers, and other persons concerned. The Government indicates that the 10th Basic Plan for Human Resources Development ended in March 2020, and the 11th Basic Plan was formulated in April 2021 after deliberations in the tripartite Human Resources Development Subcommittee of the Labour Policy Council. The plan supports human resource development in enterprises and serves as a strategy for workers’ career development. The Government reports that important labour policy matters, also on policies and plans for vocational guidance and training, involve deliberations within the tripartite Labour Policy Council, consisting of subcommittees, such as on Employment Security and Human Resources Development. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide updated detailed information on the cooperation with employers’ and workers’ organizations and other interested bodies in the formulation and implementation of vocational guidance and vocational training policies and programmes, including with local governments, and indicate the impact and outcome of this cooperation. The Committee further requests the Government to describe any existing or new formal procedures or consultative machinery instituted for this purpose. The Committee also requests the Government to supply the texts of the Basic Plan for Human Resources Development relevant for the reporting period.