【Aging, safety net and fiscal crisis in Japan】No.97: Rising Employment Rate of Females

Since the birthrate is falling and the population is aging at a faster rate, it is indispensable to increase the employment rate of females (including both employed and self-employed) in order to alleviate the shortage of labor. In fact, the employment rate of females has increased steadily in recent years. As shown in Figure 1, the number of employed females was only 11.7 million in 1975, when they accounted for 32% of the 36.5 million employees. However, in 2017, the number of employed females was 25.9 million, and they accounted for 44.5% of the 58.2 million employees.

As shown in Figure 2, this shows a sharp increase in the employment rate of females in the age range of 25 to 39. As Figure 3 shows, the significant increase in the employment rate of married females in the age range of 20 to 39 in the decade since 2007 has contributed to the overall increase in the employment rate of females.

（Source）Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare