• The Labour force survey results are part of the indices used to judge the nation?s economy. The Monthly Economic Report, published by the government every month, utilizes Labour force survey result employment indices to analyze the Japanese economy.
• The ?New Economic Strategy? (adopted by a Cabinet meeting on June 18th, 2010) used some data from the Labour force survey results, such as employment rates and the rate of employees working 60 hours or longer a week, as it set forth the goals to achieve by 2020.

Emergency employment measures

• In response to the harsh employment situation revealed by the Labour force survey results and other sources, the government has been taking measures to help people maintain their jobs, for instance enhancement of the Employment Adjustment Subsidy.
• The Labour force survey results show that the rate of non-regular employees in the nation?s whole labour market has been expanding for some time now. Also on the rise are those in long-time unemployment. To help these people, the government has been providing comprehensive support covering vocational training, re-employment, livelihood support, etc. One example of such support is the ?Vocational and Livelihood support Subsidy.?

Youth employment measures

• The recent Labour force survey results reveal that many young people are still experiencing a very harsh employment situation, with more of them non-regular employees. Facing this crisis, the regulations pertaining to the ?Ordinance for Enforcement of the Employment Security Act? have been amended to prevent employers from canceling their informal job offers to hire new graduates.
• In Japan, new graduates are facing an especially harsh employment situation. The government, to enhance the measures taken by relevant ministries to stabilize employment, has installed a ?Special Assignment Team for Employment of New Graduates?, and taken ?Emergency measures for employment of new graduates.? In all these efforts, the government uses analyses of the current labour market based on the Labour force survey results and other sources.

Measures for employment of aged people

• As the birthrate falls and the aging population increases, people are looking to the elderly too as a source of labour. In its effort to help elderly people find a job and work, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is working to secure stable employment for the aged in response to the revision of the Act for Stable Employment of Older Persons. The specific measures the Ministry has taken so far include, among others, postponement of the regular retirement age, and implementation of continued employment after the retirement age.

Council for Gender Equality

• This Council utilizes data from the Labour force survey, such as the labour force participation rate of women, the proportion of women engaged in professional and technical work, or the number who are managers and officials and so on, to learn the basics of the current situation of women at work.

Labour Policy Council

• This Council uses basic indices from the Labour force survey, such as unemployment rate, numbers of employees by type of employment, labour force, and so on, to learn the current employment situation and discuss labour policies.

Council of Private and Public Leaders to Promote Balanced Work and Life

• This Council utilizes such indices as the employment rate, and the rate of employees working long hours, to set numerical goals as it checks and evaluates the progress of efforts to strike a good balance between work and life.

• Estimates of compensation of employees in statistical calculations on the system of national accounts use the number of employees from the Labour force survey.

Analysis of the current state of the economy and future outlook

• Change in unemployment rate
• Number of unemployed persons without a job for a year or longer by age group
• The relationship between production and labour input was estimated based on the Labour force survey and other statistical data on production.

Analyses of recent employment situation

• Change in unemployment rate
• Number of unemployed persons by age group, and the reason they left the previous job
• Number of unemployed persons by relationship with the head of household
• Change in the number of unemployed persons including those who have been in long-time unemployment and potential unemployment
• Unemployment rate by region
• Change in the number of the labour force, employed persons, and employees
• Change of labour force participation ratio
• Change in the number of employees by industry
• Number of regular and non-regular employees by age group
• Change in the number of employees by type of employment
• Change in the number of people who changed jobs or began work
• Change in the number of part-time workers, Arbeit (temporary workers), or hoping to get a job

Changes in the industrial society, and trends in employment

• Change in the shares of respective industries and lines of business in the total number of employed persons
• Change in the rate of non-regular workers by number of persons engaged

• Change in the number of employed persons in ?medical, heath care and welfare?
• Change in the numbers of ?freeters? (job-hopping part-timers) and ?NEETs? (young people Not in Education, Employment or Training)
• Employment Situation
• Situation of women workers
• Rate of employees working long hours

Situation of gender equality in employment, in each field of work

• Labour force participation rate of women by age group (?M-shaped? curve)
• Change in the rate of employed persons with their respective employment status, by industry
• Rate of employees by type of employment
• Change in the number of ?double-income households?

Women?s contribution to revitalization of our society and economy

• Numbers of those who wishing to work by sex and age group
• Change in the rate of non-regular employees by sex and marital status

• Change in number of employees, unemployment rate, employment rate and labour force by age group in elderly people

• Number of women employees by industry
• Rate of women in managerial positions
• Labour force participation rate of women by age group

• Rate of non-regular employees by number of persons engaged
• Change in number of unemployed persons by number of persons engaged, and the reason they left the previous job

• Ratio of young employed persons by industry and occupation
• Change in number of ?freeters? (job-hopping part-timers)
• Unemployment situation of young people

The Labour force survey provides basic data used by municipal governments as they prepare their employment promotion plans and regional development plans to analyze the relevant current situations.

Providing data to international organizations

The Labour force survey results are provided to the International Labour Office (ILO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and others. These international organizations make international comparisons, based on labour survey and other data sent in from countries, to analyze labour and economic issues and provide advice on them. In addition, these organizations build up international databases of labour statistics which are published to the general public over the Internet and via other media.