終身雇用制(しゅうしんこようせい)

One of the three pillars of traditional Japanese corporate culture, along with 年功序列(ねんこうじょれつ) (seniority-based promotion) and 企業別組合(きぎょうべつくみあい) (company-based unions). Under this system, employees join a company after graduating and stay until 定年(ていねん) (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(しゅうしんこようせい)が崩(くず)れる: the lifetime employment system collapses
• 終身雇用制(しゅうしんこようせい)を維持(いじ)する: to maintain lifetime employment
• 終身雇用制(しゅうしんこようせい)の見直(みなお)し: review of lifetime employment

Related words

• 終身雇用(しゅうしんこよう): lifetime employment (without the 制(せい) suffix)
• 年功序列(ねんこうじょれつ): seniority-based system
• 転職(てんしょく): changing jobs
• 定年(ていねん): mandatory retirement age