1.
lifetime employment system
A Japanese employment practice in which workers are hired straight out of school and remain with one company until retirement.
終身雇用制は日本の伝統的な働き方だ。
The lifetime employment system is a traditional Japanese way of working.
最近は終身雇用制が崩れつつあると言われている。
Recently it is said that the lifetime employment system is breaking down.
大企業では終身雇用制がまだ根強く残っているが、若い世代の間では転職が当たり前になってきた。
In large corporations, the lifetime employment system still remains deeply rooted, but among the younger generation, changing jobs has become commonplace.
One of the three pillars of traditional Japanese corporate culture, along with 年功序列 (seniority-based promotion) and 企業別組合 (company-based unions). Under this system, employees join a company after graduating and stay until 定年 (mandatory retirement age), in exchange for job security and gradually increasing pay.
This practice became widespread during Japan's postwar economic boom but has been declining since the 1990s as globalization, economic stagnation, and changing attitudes have made job-hopping more common.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 終身雇用制が崩れる: the lifetime employment system collapses
- 終身雇用制を維持する: to maintain lifetime employment
- 終身雇用制の見直し: review of lifetime employment
RELATED TERMS:
- 終身雇用: lifetime employment (without the 制 suffix)
- 年功序列: seniority-based system
- 転職: changing jobs
- 定年: mandatory retirement age