### Section 2. Events and occupational career in one's life

What are the issues in developing a sustainable occupational career while coping with life events such as bearing and raising children, nursing care, etc.?

Many of unemployed women during pregnancy and parenting have a desire to work. Both men and women support women's continuous employment and the employment rate of women in their 30s who have more than one child aged under 6 years is increasing. At the same time, in order to support women's continuous employment and re-employment, it is important to improve a working environment in which women can work actively and display their ability and a childcare support system, as well as support for a work-life balance by the company.

As for the balance between work and nursing care, it is expected that the use of family care leaves in the company is effective for continued employment. It is also important to provide support in working hours and appropriate information on nursing care in the workplace. The number of working elderly people is increasing as they never wish to retire, and it is expected that the elderly people work more actively in companies and local communities using their knowledge and skills that they have acquired and continue to support society.

## (Many women during pregnancy and parenting and the elderly people have a desire to work)

Looking at unemployed people who were previously employed, (1) many women aged between 25 and 34 left their previous job due to bearing and raising of children, and (2) the number of people who left job due to family care and nursing peaked at ages between 55 and 64 for both men and women, and (3) many men in their 60s left their job because of retirement and the termination of employment contract.

Many of those who are forced to cease or terminate their occupational career still have a desire to work. Of the unemployed population, the number of people who have a desire to work was 4.28 million in 2013 (1.13 million men and 3.15 million women). Of these, the number of women whose reason of not looking for a job is bearing and raising children was 1.05 million and the number of people aged 60 or over was 700,000 in total.

According to Figure 62, the labour force participation rate of women in Japan by age group (2013) draws an M-shaped curve with those in their 30s at the bottom. Looking at the proportion of potential labour force (calculated by the sum of labour force and people who have a desire to work, potential labour force participation rate) to the population, it decreases in women in their 30s or older from 87.0% at ages between 25 and 29. The proportion changes at 80 to 89% from the age 50 to 54.

## (The employment rate of women in their 30s who have more than one child aged 6 or younger is increasing)

As both men and women support women's continuous employment, the labour force participation rate of women by age group is generally in the upward trend according to the recent years' cohort, and the bottom of the M-shaped curve (age 30 to 34) is raised.

According to Figure 63, the rate of employed wives in their 30s in households with one or more children aged 6 or younger is increasing. This implies a possibility that the number of women of this age group who leave their job due to childbirth is decreasing and the number of women who continue to work after childbirth is increasing.

## (Importance of working environment and childcare support system)

Figure 64 shows the ratio of women who were employed when they were expecting their first child and continued to work after maternity leave by age of childbirth. The ratio was 18.1% before 1998 but increased to 29.2% between 1999 and 2004, and 40.5% between 2005 and 2010. It is important to further promote the maternity leave system and improve a working environment in which women can work actively and display their ability and a childcare support system, as well as support for a work-life balance by the company.

Figure 65 shows factors contributing to the increase in the labour force participation rate of married