Being a super-ageing society brings a plethora of problems: social, political and economic. This thesis will limit itself to the economic problems and their political implications due to its...Show moreBeing a super-ageing society brings a plethora of problems: social, political and economic. This thesis will limit itself to the economic problems and their political implications due to its limited scope. The most common mentioned problems associated with an ageing society are the pressure on 1) the healthcare system, 2) the pension system, and 3) the labour market. Yet, the current situation is that most elderly workers above 65 are not welcome in the workforce, despite all the relief they can offer. The conclusion of this thesis is that the resistance is due to ageism and archaic employment systems. In order to create a more accommodating employment situation for the elderly, a salary system revision is necessary. The existing literature, however, lacks concrete plans in regards to revising such system. Based on a case study at a company that was in the midst of introducing a salary system revision, this thesis tries to explain the measures that are needed to realise this revision successfully. The most important elements of realising this system are basing salary on performance and only giving promotions if there are vacancies. This will create a system where salaries are equal to production, as opposed to tenure.Show less
This thesis examines the relationship of neoliberal policies and growing inequality in the Japanese labour market after the bubble burst in early 1990’s. The purpose of this research is to...Show moreThis thesis examines the relationship of neoliberal policies and growing inequality in the Japanese labour market after the bubble burst in early 1990’s. The purpose of this research is to determine whether labour inequality levels have risen as a result of the neoliberal agendas that the government of Japan has adopted over the past few decades. The policies and the agendas of four Prime Ministers will be discussed: Yasuhiro Nakasone (pre-bubble burst), Ryutaro Hashimoto (post-bubble burst and during Asian crisis), Junichiro Koizumi (pre-financial crisis) and Shinzo Abe (post-financial crisis). This research demonstrates that certain aspects of labour inequality have been altered using process tracing in a multi-disciplinary approach consisting of both qualitative and qualitative sources to analyze the outcomes of these policy measures. The theoretical and empirical analysis showcase that, whilst the transformation of the Japanese economic model has not been linear, there is a gradual neoliberal progress in the labour sector reflected by the continuous deregulation schemes that the administrations have chosen to pursue. The Japanese labour institutions and, therefore, the Japanese social contract have been considerably transformed as part of the neoliberal reforms.Show less
