Reading 2

Employment in Japan
A. Every autumn, when recruitment of new graduates and school leavers begins, major
cities in Japan are flooded with students hunting for a job. Wearing suits for the first
time, they run from one interview to another. The season is crucial for many students,
as their whole lives may be determined during this period.
B. In Japan, lifetime employment is commonly practised by large companies. While
people working in small companies and those working for sub-contractors do not in
general enjoy the advantages conferred by the large companies, there is a general
expectation that employees will in fact remain more or less permanently in the same
job.
C. Unlike in many Western countries where companies employ people whose skills can
be effective immediately, Japanese companies select applicants with potential who can
be trained to become suitable employees. For this reason, recruiting employees is an
important exercise for companies, as they invest a lot of time and money in training new
staff. This is basically true both for factory workers and for professionals. Professionals
who have studied subjects which are of immediate use in the workplace, such as
industrial engineers, are very often placed in factories and transferred from one section
to another. By gaining experience in several different areas and by working in close
contact with workers, the engineers are believed, in the long run, to become more
effective members of the company. Workers too feel more involved by working with
professionals and by being allowed to voice their opinions. Loyalty is believed to be
cultivated in this type of egalitarian working environment.
D. Because of this system of training employees to be all-rounders, mobility between
companies is low. Wages are set according to educational background or initial field of
employment, ordinary graduates being employed in administration, engineers in
engineering and design departments and so on. Both promotions and wage increases
tend to be tied to seniority, though some differences may arise later on as a result of
ability and business performance. Wages are paid monthly, and the net sum, after the
deduction of tax, is usually paid directly into a bank account. As well as salary, a bonus
is usually paid twice a year. This is a custom that dates back to the time when
employers gave special allowances so that employees could properly celebrate bon, a
Buddhist festival held in mid-July in Tokyo, but on other dates in other regions. The
festival is held to appease the souls of ancestors. The second bonus is distributed at
New Year. Recently, bonuses have also been offered as a way of allowing workers a
share in the profits that their hard work has gained.
E. Many female graduates complain that they are not given equal training and equal
opportunity in comparison to male graduates. Japanese companies generally believe
that female employees will eventually leave to get married and have children. It is also
true that, as well as the still-existing belief among women themselves that nothing
should stand in the way of child-rearing, the extended hours of work often do not allow
women to continue their careers after marriage.
F. Disappointed career-minded female graduates often opt to work for foreign firms.
Since most male graduates prefer to join Japanese firms with their guaranteed security,
foreign firms are often keen to employ female graduates as their potential tends to be
greater than that of male applicants.
G. Some men, however, do leave their companies in spite of future prospects, one
reason being to take over the family business. The eldest sons in families that own
family companies or businesses such as stores are normally expected to take over the
business when their parents retire. It is therefore quite common to see a businessman,
on succeeding to his parents' business, completely change his professional direction by
becoming, for example, a shopkeeper.
H. On the job, working relationships tend to be very close because of the long hours of
work and years of service in common. Social life in fact is frequently based on the
workplace. Restaurants and nomi-ya, "pubs", are always crowded at night with people
enjoying an evening out with their colleagues. Many companies organise trips and
sports days for their employees. Senior staff often play the role of mentor. This may
mean becoming involved in the lives of junior staff in such things as marriage and the
children's education.
I. The average age of retirement is between 55 and 60. For most Westerners,
retirement may be an eagerly awaited time to undertake such things as travel and
hobbies. Many Japanese, however, simply cannot get used to the freedom of retirement
and they look for ways of constructively using their time. Many look for new jobs, feeling
that if they do not work they will be abandoned by society. This has recently led to the
development in some municipalities of municipal job centres which advertise casual
work such as cleaning and lawn mowing. Given that Japan is facing the problem of an
increasingly ageing society, such activities may be vital in the future.
Questions 1-9
The Reading Passage has nine paragraphs A–I.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
List of Phrases
i how new employees are used in a company
ii women and Japanese companies
iii why men sometimes resign from Japanese companies
iv permanency in employment in Japan
v recruiting season: who, when and where
vi the social aspect of work
vii the salary structure
viii the recruitment strategy of foreign firms
ix Japanese people after retirement
1) Section A
2) Section B
3) Section C
4) Section D
5) Section E
6) Section F
7) Section G
8) Section H
9) Section I
Questions 10-12
Complete the sentences below with words taken from the reading passage. Use NO MORE THAN
THREE WORDS for each answer.
10) Japanese employers believe that moving professionals within companies and listening to workers'
views leads to ..............
11) Employees receive their wages monthly and a bonus ..............
12) Japanese workers often form close personal relationships and older staff may even become
a............. to junior staff.
Questions 13-15
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
13) Company training in Japan
A is not important
B is for factory workers only
C is for professionals only
D is for all staff
14) Foreign firms are keen to employ Japanese women because
A the women are more intelligent than men
B the women that apply are more capable than the men that apply
C the women will be only short-term employees
D the women prefer guaranteed security
15) Japanese people continue to work after retirement because

A they need the income
B they miss working
C they assist in the family business
D they have no status outside employment

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Employment in Japan

The Reading Passage has nine paragraphs A–I.

i how new employees are used in a company

ii women and Japanese companies

iii why men sometimes resign from Japanese companies

iv permanency in employment in Japan

v recruiting season: who, when and where

vi the social aspect of work

vii the salary structure

viii the recruitment strategy of foreign firms

ix Japanese people after retirement

11) Employees receive their wages monthly and a bonus ..............

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

13) Company training in Japan

B is for factory workers only

C is for professionals only

D is for all staff

14) Foreign firms are keen to employ Japanese women because

A the women are more intelligent than men

C the women will be only short-term employees

D the women prefer guaranteed security

15) Japanese people continue to work after retirement because

B they miss working

C they assist in the family business

D they have no status outside employment

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