Some people like to work after they retire, others need to. There is an employment service from the government for that.
Kansei, Yasutoshi, Kou
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Script
After you retire your job, what do you want to do? You may travel around the world, stay home day and night, meet friends and play chess or get a new job and work hard again.
In Japan, there is an employment agency for elderly people. It is called “silver jinzai center” (“jinzai” means human resources, and silver stands for people with silver or grey hair). It deals with light work and skilled work, such as cleaning an office, weeding a park, making wood works and pruning trees in a garden. And it entrusts work to those who retire their job. It is run by a nonprofit foundation, which also elderly people operate.
This system supplies social demand. There is an age-limit retirement system, almost universal at 65 years old in Japan. So excellent skilled workers have to retire their job when they reach that age, though they still able to work and want to. The system can re-employ such people and make efficient use of human resources.
It also responds to changes in Japanese society. It is a serious problem that the birthrate is declining rapidly and population is aging so rapidly. This situation leads to workforce shortage. So it is necessity and desired that elderly people work after their retirement.
The system also supplies the demand of workers. The average life expectancy of Japanese people is long. So after retirement, people have to spend the longer rest of their life. So to speak, it is an important consideration where elderly people find their purpose of life. And traditionally a lot of Japanese people find motivation in their work. The agency makes full use of this trend and can serve their needs.
Similarly, it serves other needs. People become more health conscious and some people think it is good thing for their health to exercise their body through jobs. Especially, elderly people think working prevents from diseases and keep their brain working well. So many elderly people want to get a job after they retire, and the“silver jinzai center” can respond the needs.
The“silver jinzai center” fulfills elderly people and social needs. The elderly worker’s wage are relatively lower than normally employed worker’s and it is welcomed many clients. On the other hand, their lower fee is sometimes criticized because it may interfere with a private company’s work. But this system still has a number of advantages, so it continues to operate as a desired activity.