University of Tokyo

Abstract
Survey Number 0862
Survey Title Questionnaire Survey on Employment Development in the Wide Tokyo-Yokohama Area, 1988
Depositor Eiichi Ohki
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Educational Purpose Only available for research.
Period of Data Use Permission One year
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Summary After the collapse of the bubble economy, Japan’s economy faced a recession of unprecedented length. In these circumstances, regions with clusters of small and medium manufacturing enterprises, the base for Japan’s competitiveness in manufacturing, are hit especially hard and facing the severity of business conditions. In addition, the extended period of severe business conditions has prolonged downward pressure on recruitment of skilled workers and resulted in rapid aging of the skilled worker population, which is creating a serious situation in the passing on of skills/techniques of experienced workers.

Accordingly, the Minister for Labor has designated regions where business places employing advanced skilled workers are in cluster and employment conditions are deteriorating or may deteriorate due to the overseas relocation of production locations as the “Regions for Employment Stability by Utilizing Advanced Skills.” It promotes the creation of employment opportunities through development of new projects utilizing workers’ advanced skills, etc. and the development of skills necessary for expanding new projects.

As of December 31, 1998, 25 Regions for Employment Stability by Utilizing Advanced Skills have been designated throughout Japan including the wider Tokyo–Yokohama area (Shinagawa- and Ota-ku (wards) in Tokyo, and Yokohama, Kawasaki, Sagamihara, and Yamato cities in Kanagawa prefecture).

This survey research was conducted to provide basic materials useful for the Wider Tokyo–Yokohama Regional Council for Employment Stability by Utilizing Advanced Skills to carry out various projects. Specifically, the primary purpose, on the topic of “employment development in the wider Tokyo–Yokohama region,” is to aggregate through a questionnaire survey a broad range of opinions on business conditions among small and medium manufacturers (mainly relating to machinery and metal manufacture) in the wider Tokyo–Yokohama region, changes to the work division structure in the region, the structure of the labor force, demand and supply and development of experienced skilled workers, issues in skill development, including passing on skills, and interactions between businesses in the region to create materials that can be used in future policy issues.
Data Type quantitative research
quantitative research: micro data
Universe Business places with at least 5 but less than 300 employees that are located in Shinagawa- and Ota-ku (wards) in Tokyo, and Yokohama, Kawasaki, Sagamihara, and Yamato cities in Kanagawa-prefecture, that are included in the list in the Establishment Census of Japan conducted by the (then) Management and Coordination Agency, and that correspond to the 10 industries: plastic product manufacture, rubber product manufacture, ceramic product manufacture, iron and steel industry, nonferrous metal manufacture, metal product manufacture, general machinery and appliance manufacture, electrical machinery and appliance manufacture, transportation machinery manufacture, and precision/medical instrument manufacture
Unit of Observation Organization
Sample Size Responses: 822
Response Rate: 17.1%
Valid number of questionnaires distributed: 4,799
Date of Collection 1998-09-24 ~ 1998-10-31
1998/09/24 – 10/31
Time Period 1998 ~ 1998
Spatial Unit tokyo
kanagawa
Tokyo: Shinagawa/Ota-ku (wards)
Kanagawa: Yokohama/Kawasaki/Sagamihara/Yamato cities
Sampling Procedure Probability: Simple random
Enterprises fulfilling the conditions listed in the “Universe” above were sampled at random and questionnaires were distributed.
Mode of Data Collection Self-administered questionnaire: Paper
Mail survey
Investigator The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training
DOI 10.34500/SSJDA.0862
Sponsors (Funds) Jonan Regional Council for Employment Stability by Utilizing Advanced Skills and Keihin, Etc. Regional Council for Employment Stability by Utilizing Advanced Skills
Related Publications (by the Investigator) Please refer to the abstract in Japanese.
Related Publications (based on Secondary Analysis) List of related publications (based on Secondary Analysis)
Documentation [Questionnaire]
Major Survey Items (1) Overview of the business place:
Fields of activity in production/sales, lot sizes of major products, shipping amounts per employee, founding date, efforts to reconstruct business

(2) Trade relations:
State of subcontracting transactions for processing/assembly, etc., membership of cooperative societies for specific companies, whether or not respondent receives orders jointly, personal interactions with companies that respondent delivers to/outside suppliers

(3) Composition of employees, composition of experienced skilled workers by types:
Number of employees, number of regular employees and state of surplus and shortage by occupation type, proportion of part-timers/casual part-timers (arubaito) among people engaged in production processes, fields in which respondent wishes to recruit technicians in the future, state of experienced skilled workers in manufacturing divisions (number of people by type/state of surplus and shortage/response when in shortage), types of workers in shortage besides at the production site

(4) Recruitment/hiring in past 3 years:
Recruitment and hiring by occupation type, recruitment of production process employees (whether or not hired someone, number of people hired, age groups/skill levels/birthplaces of hired personnel, items that caused problems when hiring)

(5) Characteristics of production processes:
Production processes/operations within the enterprise, outsourced production processes/operations, level of automation in production processes

(6) Skill development and passing on skills:
State of implementation of skill development for employees, whether or not passing on skills is becoming an issue, why passing on skills is an issue

(7) Activities in the region:
Participation in networking activities in the region, organization in charge of networking activities in the region, measures to get young people to be attracted to becoming an experienced skilled worker, plans for new product development/new project development, etc., and outlook for increased employment in conjunction

*For details of survey items, please refer to the questionnaire.
Date of Release 2013/08/07
Topics in CESSDA Click here for details

Employee training
Employment
Working conditions
Business/industrial management and organisation
Topics in SSJDA Employment/Labor
Version 1 : 2013-08-07
Notes for Users * The following data are not publicly available.
Question 2, supplementary question 1 of question 22, question 26, question 28, names of business places, etc.