Bildungsexpansion, demografischer Wandel und Übergänge in Japan

Abstract

Japan and Germany are representing two different types of linkage between the institutional structure of education and training systems and the stratification of labour market careers. The occupation-oriented concept (Germany) combines vocational education and occupational labour markets, the company-oriented concept (Japan) involves general education and internal labour markets. The lack of a formalised 'system' of vocational training in Japan has a number of repercussions at the level of structuring the working world: Because there is no information about the technical competence of applicants, companies base their recruitment decision on general school certificates and university degrees. The educational meritocracy link between success in the education system and employment and career prospects increases competition in education and ensures a lasting expansion of education. That's why Japan has one of the highest rates of education participation in the world. Economic crisis and demographic development led to a further expansion of tertiary education. The highly institutionalised system of school to work transition was weakened by the crisis and liberalized but did not collapse. On the one hand the deteriorating chances on the labour market such as rising unemployment of youth, an increase of withdrawals from the labour market and an increase in atypical employment pushed pupils into higher education, on the other hand, the educational system pulled pupils into higher education as the decreasing age cohorts led to vacant places.